Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/barrelmysteryOOflyniala 


THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 


I- 

UXIV.  OF  CALIF.  LIBRAE* ,  LOS  ANGELES 


THE 
BARREL  MYSTERY 


BY 
WILLIAM  J.  FLYNN 

Chief  of  the  United  States  Secret  Service 
Author  of  "The  Eagle's  Eye" 


NEW  YORK 

THE  JAMES  A.  McCANN  COMPANY 
1919 


Copyright  1919.  by 

THE  JAMES  A.  McCANN  COMPANY 

AU  Right*  Reserved 


Printed  in  the  U.S.  A 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    The  Barrel  Murder 1 

II.  What  Was  the  Motive  for  the  Murder?      .      .  18 

III.  Organized    Terrorism 23 

IV.  Counterfeit  Bills  Appear 31 

V.     The  Greenhorn's   Story 44 

VI.  Don  Pasquale,  Black-Hand  Skirmisher   ...  51 

VII.     The  Plant  of  the  Counterfeiters 65 

VIII.  The  Cow  That  Caused  a  Double  Murder  ...  83 

IX.     The  Society 85 

X.     Meeting  the  Arch-Bandit 88 

XI.  The  Black-Hander's  Police  Protection   ...  97 

XII.     A  Knock  at  the  Door  at  2  A.  M 110 

XIII.  The  Black-Handers  in  Session 117 

XIV.  Printing  the   Bad  Money 130 

XV.     Some  "After-Dinner"  Confessions 140 

XVI.     Evading  the  Gang  in  Vain 148 

XVII.     Caught  Again! 157 

XVIII.     Pinching  the  Greenhorn 169 

XIX.     The  "Black-Hand"  Doctor 172 

XX.     The  "Black-Hand"  Testament 199 

XXI.  "The  Vermilion  Flower  on  the  Big  Toe"      .     .  203 

XXII.  The    Gentle    Art    of    Writing    "Black-Hand" 

Letters 206 

XXIII.  Five    Hundred   Dollars   for   a   Badly   Written 

Letter 215 

XXIV.  Methods  of  Blackmailing 221 

XXV.     Tracing  a  Letter 226 

XXVI.     "Black-Hand"   Propaganda 239 

XXVII.  The  Watchword  of  the  "Black-Handers"     .     .  262 


21 


£9558 


THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 


CHAPTER  I 


THE   BARREL   MURDER 


Where  the  East  River  swims  around  the  foot 
of  Eleventh  Street  is  an  old  abandoned  wooden 
dock  that  looks  more  like  the  broken  skeleton  of 
a  buried  wreck  than  the  thing  it  used  to  be.  A 
covey  of  barges  are  huddled  against  the  wharf 
opposite,  and  this  wharf  gradually  becomes 
solid  pavement  where  the  lumber  yard  begins. 
It  fronts  the  street  with  the  most  dilapidated 
board  fence  in  Christendom  made  up  of  broken 
odds  and  ends  covered  with  a  crazy  patchwork 
of  corrugated  iron  scrap  stained  and  rusted  by 
the  weather.  If  an  old-time  pirate — one  of 
those  romantic  devils  with  scarred  and  battered 
features  and  a  black  patch  over  one  eye — 
should  suddenly  peer  at  you  through  one  of  the 
many  cracks  in  the  splintered  stockade  you  could 
not  be  very  surprised ;  in  fact,  you  would  almost 
expect  it  to  happen. 

Farther  up  is  a  livery  stable,  a  mere  hole  in 
a  pile  of  bricks,  once  red  now  slavered  over  with 


2  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

white-wash  once  white.  Outside  is  a  man  clip- 
ping the  mane  of  a  truck  horse  with  its  harness 
dragging  in  the  filth.  On  the  corner  is  a  sa- 
loon, such  as  you  find  on  the  East  Side,  shoul- 
dering against  the  dry  dock  storage  for  live 
poultry  with  chorus  of  cackling  inmates.  On 
the  corner  opposite  is  a  huge,  green  cheese  of 
a  building  occupied  by  various  small  manufac- 
turers. The  third  corner  bulges  with  the  huge 
cisterns  of  the  gas  works  soiled  and  smeared  with 
soot  and  fumes.  The  fourth  corner  has  become 
historic.  Every  secret  service  man  in  the  city 
knows  what  is  on  the  Northwest  corner  of  East 
Eleventh  Street  and  Avenue  D.  They  know 
the  old,  battered  red  brick  walls  that  belong  to 
the  New  York  Mallet  Works,  walls  that  look 
as  if  they  have  been  scarred  by  a  fusilade  of  ma- 
chine guns,  walls  with  rusted  chicken-wire  net- 
ting before  windows  that  are  never  cleaned  ex- 
cept when  the  rain  is  drumming  against  them, 
walls  that  are  broken  by  a  huge  portal  closed 
by  a  worm-eaten,  wooden  gate  quite  in  keeping 
with  the  whole  thing.  There  is  a  ramshackle 
tenement  next  door  with  rooms  for  rent  and 
shutters  all  drawn — shutters  that  were  doubtless 
a  shrill  green  once  upon  a  time  but  now  camou- 


THE  BARREL  MURDER  3 

flaged  by  the  blasts  of  blistering  sun  and  cut- 
ting rains  into  a  crazy-quilt  of  strange  hues, 
shutters  maimed  and  broken  and  dangling  and 
just  hanging  together.  The  only  open  aperture 
in  the  weird  and  forbidden  dwelling  is  the  en- 
trance, breathing  filth  and  the  sour  odor  of 
poverty.  Crowding  close  to  the  tenement  is  an 
almost  cavernous  fodder  and  feed  store,  its 
broken,  soiled  windows  half -hidden  behind  shat- 
tered boards  and  laths  from  which  remnants  of 
bill-posters,  stained  and  ragged,  flutter  now  and 
then.  A  heap  of  rubbish,  garlanded  with  a  jum- 
ble of  rusty  wire  and  battered  tin  cans,  adorns 
the  broken  curb.  A  pair  of  cast-off  baby  shoes 
with  buttons  dangling  are  sailing  on  a  pool  of 
dirty  water. 

Desolate  as  the  spot  is  it  appeared  even  more 
so  on  the  morning  of  April  fourteenth,  1903,  in 
the  haze  and  the  drizzling  rain  of  an  early  hour. 
But  Mrs.  Frances  Conner s,  an  Irish  woman, 
did  not  notice  these  things  as  she  crossed  the 
spot  on  her  way  to  the  bakeshop  to  get  rolls 
for  breakfast.  She  was  used  to  the  place. 
Wrapped  up  in  the  red  sweater  affected  by 
East  Side  women  and  bending  her  head  under 
her  umbrella,  she  paid  no  attention  to  the  very 


4  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

things  that  would  have  made  a  stranger  pause 
and  gaze.  As  she  slipped  across  the  corner, 
however,  she  noticed  a  barrel  standing  on  the 
curb  in  front  of  the  mallet  works.  That  barrel 
was  not  there  the  day  before.  It  was  quite  a 
big  barrel,  the  kind  they  use  for  shipping  sugar. 
Her  feminine  curiosity  was  aroused  and  she  re- 
traced her  steps.  In  this  instance  curiosity  re- 
vealed a  deed  that  horrified  the  entire  country, 
frightened  the  citizens  of  New  York,  and  threw 
the  Detective  Bureau  at  Police  Headquarters 
into  a  panic.  The  revelation  also  brought  home 
to  many  people  the  disquieting  realization  that 
there  were  assassins  in  our  midst  that  defied  the 
efforts  of  our  police  to  cope  with  them. 

An  overcoat  was  thrown  over  the  top  of  the 
barrel.  It  was  fairly  damp  but  not  quite  wet, 
indicating  that  it  could  not  have  been  there  very 
long.  Mrs.  Conners  raised  the  coat.  Quickly 
she  let  it  drop  and  screamed.  There  was  a  man's 
body  crushed  into  the  barrel.  The  body  was  in 
a  doubled-up  position,  both  feet  and  one  hand 
sticking  over  the  rim  of  the  barrel. 

Summoned  by  Mrs.  Conners'  screams  the 
neighborhood  was  on  its  feet  in  an  instant.  A 
panicky  crowd  gathered  on  the  fateful  corner 


THE  BARREL  MURDER  5 

listening  with  gaping  mouths  and  blanched  faces 
to  the  frightened  chatter  of  the  Irish  woman. 
Morbid  curiosity  prompted  a  few  to  raise  the 
coat  and  take  a  look.  Every  time  this  was  done 
some  of  the  women  would  scream  hysterically. 

A  policeman  came  running  up.  The  body  in 
the  barrel  was  still  warm  when  the  officer  ex- 
amined it  after  rolling  the  barrel  over  and  drag- 
ging the  victim  out.  About  the  dead  man's  neck 
was  wound  a  strip  of  gunny-sack.  When  re- 
moved it  revealed  more  than  a  dozen  wounds 
any  one  of  which  would  have  resulted  in  death. 
An  ambulance  surgeon  came  at  a  gallop.  He 
declared  that  the  man  could  not  have  been  dead 
more  than  two  hours  at  the  most. 

The  corpse  was  taken  to  the  Union  Market 
Police  Station.  The  examination  made  there 
led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  victim  was  a  man 
about  the  age  of  forty.  His  complexion  was 
swarthy  and  his  ears  were  pierced  with  rings. 
The  clothing  about  the  dead  man's  body  was  of 
good  quality,  and  there  was  nothing  about  the 
physical  make-up  to  indicate  that  he  belonged  to 
the  laboring  class.  The  forehead  was  of  the 
high,  receding  type,  and  it  was  partly  covered 
with  thin,   curly  hair  of  a  light-brown  tinge. 


6  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

The  moustache  was  turning  grey.  On  the  left 
cheek  were  two  scars  an  inch  or  more  in  length 
forming  the  letter  "V"  inverted.  It  was  an 
old  scar. 

A  closer  inspection  of  the  hody  revealed  that 
at  least  two  weapons  must  have  been  used  by 
the  assassin  or  assassins.  A  narrow,  two-edged 
blade  had  evidently  been  used  for  inflicting  the 
wound  just  below  the  left  ear.  This  stab  was 
made  by  a  powerful  hand  for  it  was  at  least  three 
inches  deep.  A  wound  above  the  Adam's  apple 
penetrated  sheer  to  the  spinal  cord,  and  was 
doubtless  done  by  the  same  weapon.  Numerous 
other  and  smaller  wounds  were  of  a  like  char- 
acter. A  slash  extending  from  ear  to  ear  across 
the  throat  was  probably  done  with  a  long,  sharp 
blade. 

In  searching  the  clothing  of  the  dead  man  a 
little  brass  bound  crucifix  was  found.  It  was  of 
foreign  make  with  a  Latin  motto  on  the  scroll 
work  above  the  figure  of  the  Saviour,  and  a 
skull-and-cross-bones  at  the  base  of  the  crucifix. 
This  was  found  in  a  waistcoat,  in  which  we  also 
located  a  silver  watch-chain  similar  in  make  to 
those  common  to  the  peasantry  of  Southern 
Italy.     The  crucifix  was  one  that  is  not  common 


THE  BARREL  MURDER  7 

to  any  locality.  There  was  an  overcoat  on  the 
body,  and  in  one  of  the  pockets  two  handker- 
chiefs were  found,  one  of  which  was  small  in  size 
and  faintly  perfumed.  The  only  identification 
mark  on  the  clothing  was  on  the  shoes,  which 
were  marked  "Burt  &  Co.,  opposite  Produce  Ex- 
change." The  shoes  were  worn,  and  there  was 
a  small  patch  on  one  of  them.  The  gunny  sack 
about  the  throat  was  marked  by  the  blood  stains 
only.  Stencilled  on  the  barrel  were  the  initials 
"W  &  T"  on  the  bottom;  on  the  sides  "G  233." 
It  was  a  regulation  sugar  barrel,  and  the  bot- 
tom was  covered  with  about  three  inches  of  saw- 
dust soaked  with  blood.  Onion  peels  and  some 
stubs  of  cigars  of  the  stogie  make  were  scat- 
tered in  the  sawdust,  the  kind  of  cigars  that  are 
sold  in  Italian  stores  and  bar-rooms.  A  charred 
note  in  the  handwriting  of  a  woman  was  found 
in  the  barrel.  Two  written  lines  were  in  part 
legible:  "Giorne  che  venite — subito  l'urgenza." 
Translated  the  words  might  read:  "Day  that 
you  come — suddenly  the  urgency." 

Every  device  of  detection  known  to  the  New 
York  Detective  Bureau  was  brought  into  serv- 
ice. Inspector  George  W.  McCloskey,  head  of 
the  bureau  in  person,  aided  by  picked  men, 


8  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

scoured  every  nook  and  corner  of  New  York  in 
an  effort  to  learn,  first  of  all,  the  identity  of  the 
victim.  The  whole  uniformed  force  was  also  in- 
structed to  follow  any  little  lead  of  informa- 
tion which  might  indicate  a  connection  with  the 
murder.     No  identification,  however,  developed. 

I  read  of  the  murder  in  the  afternoon  news- 
papers. This  was  on  April  fourteenth.  I  re- 
called certain  unusual  activities  among  the  band 
of  "Black  Handers"  on  the  night  of  April  12, 
which  was  about  thirty-odd  hours  before  the  mur- 
der must  have  been  committed.  It  came  to  my 
mind  that  I  had  seen  a  face  new  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  gang.  I  went  to  the  morgue  and 
looked  at  the  dead  man.  I  identified  him  as  the 
stranger  who  recently  appeared  at  the  haunts 
of  the  Black  Handers.  (When  I  say  Black 
Handers,  I  mean  also  counterfeiters.)  Two 
other  secret  service  men  also  identified  him.  The 
body  was  taken  out  of  the  ice  and  measured  ac- 
cording to  the  Bertillon  method. 

For  some  time  prior  to  the  murder  I  had  been 
closely  in  touch  with  Morello,  with  Lupo  and 
others  of  their  band.  I  had  them  under  surveil- 
lance for  the  purpose  of  arresting  them  on  a 
'  charge  of  counterfeiting. 


THE  BARREL  MURDER  9 

On  the  night  of  April  12,  having  accumulated 
considerable  information  concerning  this  band,  I 
personally  picked  up  the  trail  and  followed  sev- 
eral members  of  the  band  from  their  counter- 
feiting headquarters  in  the  cafe  at  Elizabeth  and 
Prince  Streets.  Just  around  the  corner  from 
this  cafe  was  the  saloon  of  Ignazio  Lupo,  an- 
other rendezvous  of  the  gang.  In  the  rear  of 
Lupo's  saloon  Giuseppe  Morello  conducted  an 
Italian  restaurant. 

Trailing  along,  I  followed  several  of  the  gang 
to  the  butcher  store  of  Vito  La  Duca,  at  No.  16 
Stanton  Street,  which  is  just  east  of  the  Bowery. 
Among  those  present  in  the  store  was  Morello, 
whom  I  had  arrested  four  months  previously  for 
counterfeiting.  He  was  the  only  one  of  the 
gang  which  I  had  arrested  who  had  escaped  con- 
viction. Two  others  of  the  men  present  were 
Antonio  Geneva  and  Domenico  Pecoraro,  both 
of  whom  I  knew  well.  And  while  the  three 
whom  I  have  already  named  were  in  animated 
conversation  near  the  rear  of  the  shop,  a  fourth 
man,  a  face  new  to  me,  stood  apart  from  the 
others  near  the  door.  He  was  the  same  man 
found  less  than  forty  hours  later  in  the  barrel. 

While  the  conversation  took  place  in  the  rear 


10  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

of  the  shop  I  saw  a  piece  of  bagging  being  hung 
up  as  a  curtain  over  the  glass  in  the  door  lead- 
ing from  the  street  into  the  store.  It  was  but 
a  few  minutes  later  that  I  saw  a  covered  wagon 
driving  up  to  the  door.  Two  men  hopped  down 
from  the  seat  and  entered  the  shop.  One  of 
them  came  out  again  after  a  couple  of  minutes 
and  drove  away.  Shortly  after  eight  o'clock 
that  evening  the  visitors  left  La  Duca's  store. 
They  split  up  into  two  groups,  the  stranger  go- 
ing toward  the  Bowery  with  Morello  and 
Pecoraro. 

I  communicated  with  Inspector  McCloskey, 
then  in  charge  of  the  Detective  Bureau  at  Police 
Headquarters,  and  told  him  what  I  have  just 
related.  Immediately  there  was  a  rounding  up 
of  the  gang,  my  men  pairing  off  with  the  head- 
quarters detectives  and  locating  eleven  of  the 
members  of  the  Black-Hand  Society.  Here  is 
the  list  of  those  arrested  as  suspects  for  the 
murder: 

Giuseppe  Morello,  of  "No.  178  Chrystie  Street. 

Ignazio  Lupo,  of  No.  433  West  Fortieth 
Street. 


THE  BARREL  MURDER  11 

Messina  Genova,  of  No.  538  East  Fifteenth 
Street. 

Vito  La  Duca,  of  No.  16  Stanton  Street. 

Pietro  Inzarillo,  of  No.  226  Elizabeth  Street. 

Domenico  Pecoraro,  of  No.  198  Chrystie 
Street. 

Lorenzo  Lobido,  of  No.  308  Mott  Street. 

Giuseppe  Fanara,  of  No.  25  Rivington 
Street. 

Giuseppe  La  Lamia,  of  No.  47  Delancey 
Street. 

Nicola  Testa,  of  No.  16  Stanton  Street. 

Luciano  Perrino,  of  No.  47  Delancey  Street. 

Perrino  was  also  known  as  Tomasso  Petto. 
He  was  known  among  the  members  of  the  Black 
Hand  aggregation  as  "II  Bove,"  meaning 
"The  Ox." 

Here  was  certainly  a  murderous  aggregation 
of  the  most  pronounced  criminal  type.  They 
were  all  of  them  from  Sicily.  Most  of  them 
were  armed  with  a  revolver,  some  also  had 
knives  and  even  stilettos.  On  Morello  the  police 
found  a  .45  caliber  revolver.  A  knife  was 
tucked  away  in  the  waistband  of  his  trousers,  a 
cork  being  fixed  at  the  point  of  the  blade  so  that 


12         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

it  would  not  scratch  his  leg.  Petto,  the  Ox, 
whom  Inspector  McCafferty  of  the  detective 
bureau,  and  I  arrested  later,  carried  his  pistol  in 
a  holster  and  a  sheath  for  his  stiletto.  Most  of 
the  suspects  had  permits  from  the  New  York 
Police  Department  to  carry  revolvers.  It  was 
this  incident,  practically,  which  brought  on  the 
crusade  against,  and  the  passing  of  the  law  for- 
bidding, the  carrying  of  dangerous  weapons. 

The  prisoners  were  presently  hurried  to  the 
Morgue,  where  each  of  them  had  a  look  at  the 
dead  man.  They  were  asked  individually  wheth- 
er they  knew  him.  The  answer  was  the  usual 
one — a  shrug  of  the  shoulders  and  the  words  "No 
understand,"  "don't  know."  Morello  and  Peco-* 
raro  were  both  asked  whether  they  knew  the  dead 
man,  but  denied  that  they  had  ever  seen  him; 
this  in  face  of  my  seeing  the  two  in  the  company 
of  the  man  now  dead  less  than  forty  hours  before 
he  was  murdered.  The  dead  man  still  remained 
without  a  name,  and  without  a  friend  or  relative 
coming  to  claim  kinship. 

Information  began  to  percolate  into  my  office 
which  induced  me  to  take  a  trip  to  Sing  Sing 
prison  in  an  effort  to  bring  about  the  identifica- 
tion of  the  dead  man.     It  was  plain  to  me  al- 


THE  BARREL  MURDER  13 

ready  then  that  the  police  force  was  failing  in  its 
efforts.  I  resolved  to  take  a  personal  interest  in 
the  murder  and  to  clear  it  up  if  possible. 

At  this  point,  let  me  inform  the  reader  that  an 
anonymous  letter  was  addressed  to  Lieutenant 
Joseph  Petrosino  of  the  Italian  Detective  Squad, 
then  a  part  of  the  New  York  Police  Department. 
This  letter  proved  to  be  of  value  in  elucidating 
particulars  aiding  us  in  identifying  the  man 
found  murdered  in  the  barrel.  The  Lieutenant 
showed  this  letter  to  me.  Knowing  that  Petro- 
sino was  the  best  man  in  the  Police  Department 
to  handle  the  situation,  I  asked  him  to  go  to  Sing 
Sing  Prison  to  investigate. 

Petrosino  took  along  a  photograph  of  the  mur- 
dered man.  Several  of  the  convicts  failed  to 
identify  the  photograph,  but  the  third  man  ques- 
tioned by  Petrosino,  Giuseppe  DePriema,  looked 
at  the  photograph  and  said:  "That  is  Maruena 
Benedetto,  my  brother-in-law.  What  has  hap- 
pened?" 

DePriema  completed  the  identification  by  cor- 
roborating the  watch  chain  and  the  crucifix.  He 
also  described  accurately  the  scar  on  Benedetto's 
face.  At  first,  DePriema  was  terror-stricken. 
Later  on,  however,  he  grew  angry,  as  only  the 


14         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Sicilian  bent  on  murder  can  get  angry.  He  gave 
us  the  Buffalo  address  of  Benedetto,  and  told  us 
all  about  the  dead  man's  business  as  a  stone  cut- 
ter. DePriema  said  that  his  brother-in-law  had 
been  out  of  work  for  some  months  past,  that  he 
had  left  Buffalo  to  associate  himself  with  a  band 
of  counterfeiters  in  New  York. 

It  is  my  personal  opinion  that  if  the  New  York 
police  had  not  blundered  after  arresting  the  gang 
named  the  murderer  would  have  been  located  in 
short  order.  The  police  made  the  mistake  of 
locking  up  the  gang  together,  so  that  they  could 
speak  and  plan  together.  Each  man  should 
have  been  incarcerated  separately.  The  detec- 
tives also  failed  to  examine  all  the  letters  and  all 
the  papers  taken  from  the  prisoners  when 
searched. 

Returning  to  New  York  from  Sing  Sing, 
Petrosino  came  directly  to  me.  Together  we 
went  to  Police  Headquarters  and  asked  to  be 
shown  the  letters  and  papers  taken  from  the  sus- 
pects. Among  the  litter  I  found  a  pawn-ticket 
for  a  watch  which  had  been  pledged  at  a  Bowery 
pawnshop  for  one  dollar  on  the  day  of  the  mur- 
der. The  ticket  was  found  on  Petto,  the  Ox. 
It  was  positively  identified  by  the  wife  of  Bene- 


THE  BARREL  MURDER  lg 

detto,  who  was  brought  on  from  Buffalo.  Cer- 
tain markings  and  engravings  were  described  by 
Mrs.  Benedetto,  which  could  have  been  known 
only  to  one  closely  acquainted  with  the  time- 
piece. 

With  this  evidence  to  proceed  upon,  Petto,  the 
Ox,  was  indicted  by  the  Grand  Jury,  after  being 
held  without  bail  on  the  murder  charge.  Mean- 
while, the  other  suspects  were  turned  out  by 
Police  Magistrate  Barlow  because  there  was  not 
sufficient  evidence  to  hold  them  on  the  murder 
charge.  Murder  in  the  first  degree  was  the 
charge  against  Petto. 

From  then  on  evidence  began  to  accumulate 
that  convinced  me  personally  of  the  existence  of 
an  organized  "Black  Hand"  society  in  New 
York  City.  Eminent  counsel  was  engaged  and 
a  large  fund  raised  by  the  criminal  associates  of 
Petto,  the  Ox,  to  fight  for  his  freedom.  During 
the  time  that  Petto  was  incarcerated,  informa- 
tion came  to  me  that  each  and  every  one  of  the 
gang  was  from  the  same  town  in  Sicily;  a  place 
named  Corleone,  about  twenty-seven  miles  from 
Palermo.  It  was  in  Palermo  that  Lieutenant 
Joseph  Petrosino,  of  the  New  York  Police  Force, 
was  murdered  eventually  while  in  quest  of  spe- 


16         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

cial  information  for  Police  Commissioner  Theo- 
dore Bingham.  We  also  ferreted  out  the  sig- 
nificant fact  that  in  order  to  gain  the  inner  circle 
of  the  secret  society,  which  was  furnishing  funds 
for  the  defense  of  Petto,  the  applicant  would 
have  to  he  from  the  town  of  Corleone. 

When  Petto  had  been  held  in  the  Tombs 
Prison  for  more  than  four  months  his  attorney 
asked  that  he  be  released  on  his  own  recogni- 
zance, the  attorney  stating  that  there  was  not  suf- 
ficient evidence  upon  which  to  bring  the  accused 
to  trial  with  any  fair  hope  of  convicting  him.  No 
sooner  was  Petto  released  than  he  disappeared 
from  his  accustomed  haunts  with  the  gang  in 
New  York. 

But  Petto  did  not  escape  the  eye  of  the  Secret 
Service.  He  was  traced  to  Pittston,  Pa.  Nor 
did  Petto  escape  a  blood  relative  of  the  murdered 
man.  Probably  I  had  better  explain  at  this 
point  that  there  is  an  unwritten  law  among  the 
Italians  of  southern  Sicily  that  when  a  member 
of  a  family  is  murdered,  the  crime  must  be 
avenged  by  a  blood  relative  of  the  murdered  per- 
son. If  no  blood  relative  is  available,  a  kinsman 
by  marriage  assumes  the  task. 

Petto  soon  became  the  leader  of  a  band  of 


THE  BARREL  MURDER  17 

black-handers  who  preyed  upon  the  Italian  min- 
ers in  Pittston.  Then  one  night,  when  the 
streets  were  slippery  with  a  cold,  drizzling  rain, 
there  came  an  ominous  knock  at  his  door.  Petto 
sensed  that  something  was  wrong.  He  made 
ready  for  any  emergency  and  drew  his  big  re- 
volver. But  the  unknown  visitor  was  quicker 
than  the  murderer  of  Benedetto,  and  the  aim  was 
certain.  Five  bullets  stopped  the  Black  Hander 
forever.  A  dagger  was  sunk  into  the  heart  of 
Petto,  the  Ox,  to  make  doubly  sure  that  he  was 
not  playing  'possum.  Beside  the  warm  body  of 
Petto  his  revolver  was  found  fully  loaded.  The 
hand  holding  the  revolver  was  partly  shot  away. 
On  his  body  was  discovered  a  little  brass-bound 
crucifix  with  a  skull-and-cross-bones  at  the 
Saviour's  feet,  an  exact  duplicate  of  that  taken 
from  the  body  of  the  man  found  in  the  barrel. 
As  far  as  the  police  records  show,  the  avenger 
of  Benedetto  has  never  been  apprehended. 
Whether  the  avenger  has  since  suffered  a  fate 
similar  to  his  victim  I  cannot  at  this  moment  say. 


CHAPTER  II 

WHAT  "WAS  THE  MOTIVE  FOR  THE  MURDER? 

How  do  I  know  that  Petto,  the  Ox,  murdered 
Benedetto?  you  would  ask. 

And  what  could  be  the  motive  for  his  crime? 

Follow  me  a  little  further. 

In  January,  1903,  several  months  before  Bene- 
detto's body  was  found  in  the  barrel,  three  Ital- 
ians were  arrested  in  the  City  of  Yonkers.  They 
were  Isadoro  Crocervera,  Salvatore  Romano  and 
Giuseppe  DePriema.  The  latter  is  the  brother- 
in-law  of  the  barrel-murder  victim.  The  three 
men  were  apprehended  by  the  local  police  in 
Yonkers  on  the  charge  of  passing  counterfeit 
five-dollar  notes  of  the  National  Iron  Bank  of 
Morristown,  New  Jersey.  The  secret  service 
men  were  well  aware  that  these  notes  were  being 
imported  from  Italy  by  the  Morello  gang. 

When  I  was  called  into  the  case,  the  Yonkers 
police,  who  made  the  arrest,  told  me  that  the 
three  men  were  accompanied  by  another  Italian, 

18 


WHAT  WAS  THE  MOTIVE?       19 

a  short  fellow,  who  got  away.  Knowing  the 
ways  of  the  gang,  it  was  plain  to  me  that  the 
escaped  Italian  was  the  treasurer  of  the  crew 
passing  the  counterfeit  money.  Such  a  treas- 
urer is  always  hiding  in  the  distance  with  the 
greater  bulk  of  the  counterfeit  bills  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  a  get-away  if  the  passers  get  into 
trouble  and  are  arrested.  The  treasurer  is  sup- 
posed to  rush  away  to  the  secret  meeting  place 
of  the  Black-Hand  Society,  where  a  counsel  is 
held  to  decide  just  what  plan  to  follow  in  the 
effort  to  get  the  members  who  have  been  arrested 
out  of  their  peril. 

From  the  description  given  me  of  the  Italian 
who  made  his  get-away  I  recognized  him  as  a 
counterfeiter  already  registered  in  the  files  of  the 
Secret  Service  as  Number  Six.  I  was  also  able 
to  identify  Crocervera  and  DePriema  as  mem- 
bers of  the  Corleone  gang. 

My  next  move  was  to  bring  the  Yonkers  offi- 
cers to  New  York  and  place  them  where  they 
could  have  a  good  look  at  Number  Six.  The 
officers  identified  the  man  without  hesitation. 
Number  Six  was  arrested,  therefore,  on  Febru- 
ary 19,  and  gave  the  name  of  Giuseppe  Giallam- 
bardo.     He  got  six  years. 


20         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

The  Black  Handers  were  puzzled.  They 
could  not  understand  how  it  happened  that  Gial- 
lambardo  had  come  into  the  toils  unless  one  of 
the  three  men  arrested  had  "squealed."  And 
perhaps  I  should  say  right  here  that  the  gang 
never  realized  they  were  ever  under  surveillance, 
and  that  every  move  made  by  them  individually 
was  noted  in  the  daily  reports  of  Secret  Service 
sent  to  Washington. 

When  Crocervera  and  DePriema  were  brought 
to  my  office  I  knew  in  advance  that  neither  of 
them  would  talk,  having  had  the  characteristics 
of  the  men  recorded  long  before  they  were  ar- 
rested. However,  in  order  to  give  Crocervera 
the  impression  that  DePriema  had  told  me  a  lot 
of  the  workings  of  the  gang,  I  hit  upon  the  idea 
of  keeping  DePriema  in  my  inner  office  for  sev- 
eral hours  while  Crocervera  remained  in  an  outer 
office.  I  was  timing  my  effort  for  a  purpose. 
As  DePriema  was  leaving,  I  stepped  to  the  door 
with  him  and  shook  his  hand  warmly  and  patted 
him  on  the  back  in  order  that  Crocervera,  seeing 
the  performance,  might  gain  the  impression  that 
DePriema  had  confessed  all  he  knew  about  the 
gang.  Naturally,  the  object  of  this  move  was 
to  tempt  Crocervera  to  talk  and  give  information 


WHAT  WAS  THE  MOTIVE?       21 

important  to  the  government.  But  Crocervera 
did  not  talk.  The  subsequent  arrest  of  Giallam- 
bardo  served  to  strengthen  the  impression  al- 
ready planted  in  the  mind  of  Crocervera  that  De- 
Priema  had  betrayed  him,  and  we  overheard  Cro- 
cervera telling  this  to  the  members  of  the  gang 
while  they  were  in  our  office. 

The  gang  was  not  in  position  to  tale  revenge 
on  DePriema,  as  he  was  in  Sing  Sing  prison, 
where  the  three  men  had  been  sent  upon  convic- 
tion on  the  charge  of  passing  counterfeit  money. 
Following  the  hereditary  Sicilian  custom,  the 
gang  then  proceeded  to  select  a  blood  relative  of 
DePriema  and  mark  him  for  murder.  There 
being  no  male  blood  relative  of  DePriema  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  the  Black  Hand  Society 
decided  that  the  nearest  male  relative  must  pay 
the  penalty  for  DePriema's  treason.  Benedetto, 
the  brother-in-law,  was  chosen  as  the  sacrifice. 

These  details  of  the  motive  of  the  murder,  and 
the  society's  choosing  Petto,  the  Ox,  to  do  the 
killing  were  confessed  to  me  several  years  later 
by  members  of  the  gang  after  I  succeeded  in  con- 
victing them  for  counterfeiting  and  had  them 
sentenced  to  long  terms  in  the  Federal  Peniten- 
tiary at  Atlanta,  Georgia. 


22         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

As  to  the  identity  of  Benedetto's  kinsman,  who 
made  certain  of  his  aim  at  Petto,  the  Ox,  near 
the  Italian  rendezvous  where  "II  Bove"  held 
sway  in  the  little  Pennsylvania  city,  I  can  only 
answer  at  the  present  writing  that  the  kinsman 
was  not  DePriema,  because  the  latter  was  still 
in  Sing  Sing  Prison  when  the  murder  of  the  man 
in  the  barrel  was  avenged. 


CHAPTER  III 


ORGANIZED  TERRORISM 


From  what  has  been  related  so  far,  I  presume 
the  reader  may  gain  some  idea  of  the  dangerous 
type  of  men  whom  I  refer  to  as  members  of  the 
Black-Hand  Society. 

You  are  now  familiar  with  the  kind  of  punish- 
ment meted  out  to  one  whom  the  gang  suspects 
of  having  betrayed  a  member.  You  have  also 
been  acquainted  with  the  Sicilian  custom  of  re- 
venge by  way  of  an  actual  example  showing  how 
the  slayer  of  the  man  in  the  barrel  came  to  his 
end  in  a  manner  that  is  as  certain  as  daylight  fol- 
lows darkness.  It  is  the  racial  idea  of  the  an- 
tique Hebrew  law,  "An  eye  for  an  eye  and  a 
tooth  for  a  tooth."  The  Sicilian  "vendetta"  de- 
mands a  life  for  a  life.  You  may  have  noted 
further  that  the  police  of  New  York  and  the 
machinery  of  the  law  failed  to  track  down  the 
slayer  of  the  man  in  the  barrel.    A  circumstance 

23 


24         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

that  makes  it  singularly  difficult  for  the  author- 
ities to  cope  with  this  type  of  criminals  is  that 
the  Sicilian  does  not  ask  the  police  for  help  when 
a  member  of  his  family  is  murdered.  He  keeps 
it  quiet.  And  as  quietly  a  blood  relative  of  the 
slain  person  assumes  the  responsibility  which  we 
Americans  place  on  the  police  and  the  courts. 
The  end  of  Petto,  the  Ox,  shows  exactly  what 
happens  when  individual  vengeance  succeeds  in 
place  of  justice  meted  out  by  a  court  of  law. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  when  the  crim- 
inal band,  which  the  police  rounded  up  in  con- 
nection with  the  barrel  murder,  were  turned  out 
by  the  police  magistrate,  because  there  was  in- 
sufficient evidence  to  hold  them  for  the  murder 
of  Benedetto,  the  suspects  dropped  out  of  sight 
as  far  as  the  police  of  New  York  were  concerned. 

The  Secret  Service  kept  its  eagle  eye  on  them, 
however.  Every  suspect  was  carefully  "shad- 
owed" by  a  special  operative.  We  expected  that 
they  would  gravitate  back  to  their  haunts,  and 
they  did.  We  spotted  them  in  such  places  as  the 
cafe  of  Pietro  Inzarillo,  at  No.  226  Elizabeth 
Street,  and  in  the  dark,  little  Italian  grocery 
shop  of  Ignazio  Lupo,  at  No.  8  Prince  Street, 
which  is  just  around  the  corner  from  Inzarillo's 


ORGANIZED  TERRORISM         25 

place.  We  also  located  suspects  loafing  around 
the  dingy,  garlic-smelling  restaurant  of  Giu- 
seppe Morello,  tucked  away  in  the  rear  of  Lupo's 
grocery  shop,  like  an  evil  thing  afraid  of  the 
light  of  day. 

Criminals  wanted  by  Uncle  Sam  are  not  suf- 
fered to  drop  from  the  sight  of  the  Secret  Serv- 
ice. Members  of  this  gang  were  busy  in  the 
counterfeit  money  line.  The  government  was 
necessarily  interested  in  following  their  move- 
ments. Consequently  I  stayed  right  on  the  job 
with  my  men  at  trailing  and  spotting  the  sus- 
pects. After  a  while  I  had  in  my  possession 
quite  a  neat  bundle  of  facts  that  gradually  dis- 
closed to  us  the  impulse  and  the  motives  behind 
this  crime-hardened  gang  of  men.  I  say  with- 
out the  slightest  hesitation  that  the  basic,  under- 
lying motive  of  these  men  is  a  fierce  and  uncom- 
promising passion  to  get  rich  quick.  That  is 
what  makes  them  murderous  criminals.  It  is  the 
same  get-rich-quick  impulse  that  we  find  among 
unscrupulous  business  men  and  gamblers,  but  it 
is  of  a  much  more  dangerous  caliber  and  preg- 
nant with  every  sinister  motive  to  the  most  hor- 
rible and  debased  forms  of  crime.  It  is  true 
that  the  "Black-Handers"  got  a  pretty  good 


26  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

start  in  this  country  before  the  authorities  were 
alive  to  the  danger,  but  it  is  also  true  that  the 
Secret  Service  did  finally  succeed  in  rounding  up 
the  leaders  and  their  henchmen,  reducing  the  ne- 
farious operations  to  a  minimum.  Had  this  not 
been  done  just  about  the  time  it  was  actually 
done,  the  "Black  Hand"  Society  would  have  in- 
creased its  stranglehold  upon  the  population  to 
a  point  where  the  police  might  not  have  been  able 
to  guarantee  the  personal  safety  of  the  citizens. 
Even  at  the  present  time,  when  the  authorities 
may  be  said  to  have  the  situation  well  in  hand, 
the  danger  of  renewed  "Black  Hand"  activities 
by  other  groups  would  not  be  removed  if  the 
Secret  Service  were  to  relax  its  vigilance  for  ever 
so  short  a  time.  The  threat  of  Bolshevism,  al- 
ready flaring  upon  the  horizon,  as  a  menacing 
torch  over  murder-maddened  mobs  defying  law 
and  order,  would  be  a  welcome  brother.  In  the 
chaos  created,  if  the  Red  Bolsheviks  should  ever 
succeed  in  demoralizing  this  country,  the  male- 
factors of  the  "Black  Hand"  Society  would 
thrive  as  maggots  in  a  cheese.  A  mixed  brand 
of  terrorism  would  soon  show  its  evil  head,  a 
mixed  brand  that  would  bring  every  decent  citi- 


ORGANIZED  TERRORISM         27 

zen  to   shudder   at  the  mention  of   BLACK 
BOLSHEVISM. 

In  looking  into  the  motives  of  the  men  who 
represented  the  Sicilian  Mafia,  or  "Black  Hand" 
Society,  in  this  country,  I  was  fortunate  to  elu- 
cidate not  a  few  particulars  that  go  to  show  how 
these  criminals  actually  operate. 

The  Black  Handers  here  would  terrorize  their 
less  courageous  countrymen  from  the  provinces 
of  Southern  Italy.  They  had  been  at  this  form 
of  blackmail  for  some  years.  Lupo  and  Morello 
were  the  leaders.  The  money  obtained  by  black- 
mail and  threats  of  various  kinds  was  divided 
among  a  few  men,  but  most  of  the  funds  went 
to  Lupo  and  Morello.  As  fast  as  Morello  got 
money  he  would  farm  it  out  by  acquiring  a  bar- 
ber shop  or  set  up  a  man  in  a  shoe  repairing  shop. 
He  also  invested  in  several  Italian  restaurants. 
Lupo  was  in  the  habit  of  putting  his  money  into 
Italian  grocery  stores.  He  soon  became  one  of 
the  greatest  importers  of  olive  oil  and  Italian 
lemons  in  New  York,  City.  It  is  known  that 
more  than  $200,000  was  accumulated  by  the  two 
leaders  in  a  few  years.  This  estimate  is  based 
on  testimony  submitted  by  people  who  have  com- 


'28  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

plained  since  of  the  way  in  which  they  were  ter- 
rorized. 

Lupo  and  Morello  were  an  ideal  combination 
to  force  leadership  upon  the  "Black  Handers" 
in  this  country.  Morello  was  the  rough,  bearish 
and  hairy-looking  monster,  cruel  as  a  fiend,  and 
always  unshaven.  Lupo  was  the  well-dressed, 
soft-spoken,  slick-looking  "gent"  of  pretended 
refinement.  He,  too,  was  cruel  and  heartless. 
Lupo  was  the  business  man  of  the  two. 
Morello  had  in  his  make-up  more  of  the  cun- 
ning of  the  born  criminal.  He  was  cautious 
like  the  fox  and  ferocious  like  a  maddened  bull. 
Lupo  was  always  suggesting  new  business  ways 
for  the  investing  of  the  blackmail  money.  To 
Lupo's  scheming  brain  can  also  be  traced  the 
proposition  to  build  a  tenement  house  with  such 
funds  as  he  and  Morello  could  spare  from  the 
various  barber  shops  and  the  importing  ventures 
in  which  they  were  interested. 

They  built  one  tenement  house  and  sold  it  at 
a  profit.  They  built  several  other  tenement 
houses  and  likewise  sold  these  at  a  profit.  Every 
time  they  would  take  the  money  and  reinvest  in 
more  buildings.  It  was  also  at  Lupo's  sugges- 
tion that  a  scheme  was  concocted  to  form  an  as- 


ORGANIZED  TERRORISM         29 

sociation  for  building  purposes  with  the  object 
of  selling  stock  in  the  association  to  Italians  from 
Southern  Italy  only  and  exclusively.  The  asso- 
ciation was  called  the  Ignatz  Florio  Association 
of  Corleone. 

The  main  purpose  of  this  association  was  to 
accumulate  sufficient  funds  to  erect  two  rows  of 
Italian  tenements  in  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
seventh  Street  and  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
eighth  Street  and  Cypress  Avenue,  in  the  Bronx. 
Stock  in  the  association  was  placed  on  sale  for 
three  dollars  and  five  dollars  per  share.  When 
the  dividends  came  due,  payment  was  made  or 
the  dividend  turned  over  to  the  account  of  the 
holder  of  the  stock.  The  tenements  went  up  in 
quick  succession. 

Lupo  and  Morello  finally  succeeded  in  getting 
the  control  of  the  association  entirely  in  their 
own  hands.  They  used  the  funds  to  develop 
their  business  ventures,  Morello  specializing  in 
barber  and  shoe  shops,  Lupo  sticking  to  his  olive 
oil  importing  enterprise.  Some  of  the  contrac- 
tors who  put  up  the  tenements  were  paid,  and 
some  were  not.  Those  who  had  furnished  mate- 
rials for  the  buildings  received  some  manner  of 
payment,  but  there  were  several  who  got  noth- 


30         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY; 

ing.  Law  suits  began  to  threaten  the  two  lead- 
ers. The  holders  of  the  stock  began  to  inquire 
rather  insistently  about  dividends. 

At  this  juncture,  Lupo  and  Morello  stuck 
their  heads  together  and  hatched  a  deep-dyed 
scheme  for  making  counterfeit  money.  They 
would  establish  a  large  counterfeiting  plant. 
They  would  take  the  counterfeit  stuff  and  give 
it  to  the  stockholders  in  the  association.  For 
every  thirty-five  cents  which  the  association  owed 
to  a  holder  of  stock  Morello  and  Lupo  would 
give  one  full  dollar  in  counterfeit  money.  The 
person  receiving  the  counterfeit  money  would  be 
obliged  to  dispose  of  it  according  to  the  directions 
given  by  Lupo  and  Morello,  who  held  themselves 
competent  to  instruct  the  members  of  the  associa- 
tion so  that  the  bad,  money  could  be  disposed  of 
without  risk  of  arrest.  This  counterfeiting 
scheme  was  hatched  in  the  summer  of  1908  in  the 
rear  of  Morello's  evil-smelling,  dingy  little  spa- 
ghetti joint. 


CHAPTER  IV 

COUNTERFEIT  BILLS  APPEAR 

In  May,  1909,  counterfeit  two-dollar  and  five- 
dollar  bills  began  to  appear  in  many  of  the  large 
cities,  such  as  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Pitts- 
burgh, Buffalo,  Chicago  and  Boston.  Some  of 
the  bills  were  distributed  as  far  away  as  New 
Orleans.  The  simultaneous  appearance  of  the 
bills  in  so  many  different  cities  indicated  quite 
plainly  that  a  large  band  was  operating  in  the 
distribution  of  the  bad  money. 

Ever  since  Lupo  and  Morello  and  his  asso- 
ciates were  arrested  in  19&8,  and  were  turned 
out  by  the  Police  Magistrate  because  there  was 
not  sufficient  evidence  to  hold  them  for  the  barrel 
murder,  I  had  not  lost  sight  of  them.  They 
were  being  trailed  all  the  time,  day  and  night. 
As  a  result  of  my  watchfulness,  I  learned  many 
things  that  have  since  proven  to  be  very  useful 
to  the  government  in  its  efforts  to  keep  the  coun- 
terfeiting of  money  down  to  a  minimum. 

31 


32         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Among  other  things,  I  learned  that  Morello 
made  frequent  trips  to  Chicago  and  other  cities 
where  the  counterfeit  money  seemed  to  flourish. 
Morello  made  a  flying  trip  to  New  Orleans  on 
one  occasion  when  my  men  tracked  him  all  the 
way.  When  his  train  arrived  in  Philadelphia  we 
knew  he  was  on  board;  when  the  train  reached 
Baltimore  we  knew  he  was  on  the  train,  and  when 
he  arrived  at  Washington  we  knew  where  the 
"Black-Hand"  leader  was;  and  so  on,  till  he  ar- 
rived in  New  Orleans.  On  his  arrival  there  cer- 
tain Italian  confederates  were  waiting  for  him 
and  escorted  their  chief  to  a  little  Italian  cafe 
where  a  conference  was  held  in  a  back  room  last- 
ing a  little  longer  than  two  hours.  Immediately 
after  the  conference  was  over,  Morello  took  the 
next  train  back  to  New  York. 

Now  enters  into  the  story  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Antonio  Cecala.  Remember  the  name  of  this 
man,  for  he  plays  an  important  part  in  the  game 
for  the  remainder  of  the  story.  Cecala,  whom 
we  will  establish  here  as  the  third  executive 
bandit  in  the  Lupo-Morello  group,  made  trips  to 
Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh  and  Buffalo.  Cecala 
proved  a  valuable  aid  to  the  two  "Black-Hand" 
captains. 


COUNTERFEIT  BILLS  APPEAR    33 

Lupo  was  tracked  by  Secret  Service  men  to 
cities  where  the  counterfeit  money  was  circulat- 
ing. Another  thread  of  investigation  disclosed 
the  not  unimportant  fact  that  there  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Ignatz  Florio  Association  scattered 
all  over  the  United  States,  especially  in  the  pop-: 
ulous  centers  where  the  five-  and  two-dollarj 
counterfeit  bills  were  being  circulated.  Besides,' 
I  was  getting  information  daily  from  banks  and 
merchants  that  the  bills  were  being  "pushed  on 
the  market"  in  abundance.  I  also  learned  that' 
Italians  from  Corleone,  Sicily,  were  the  only. 
Italians  who  were  trusted  in  these  centers  by  the, 
Morello-Lupo  gang,  pointing  to  the  probability; 
that  the  bad  bills  were  being  circulated  and 
"pushed"  through  native  Corleonians  exclusively. 

Another  clue  showed  that  the  bills  were  being 
manufactured  somewhere  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  New  York  City.  I  fine-combed  the  State 
of  New  York  upon  learning  this.  Naturally,' 
my  attention  was  focused  on  the  Corleone  Ital- 
ians in  New  York  City.  In  this  way  I  gathered 
that  Lupo  had  fled  from  his  creditors,  to  whom 
he  owed  money  in  connection  with  his  Italian 
grocery  stores  business.  I  finally  succeeded  in 
locating  him  living  in  Ardonia,  New  York,  which 


34         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

is  not  very  far  from  Highland  on  the  Hudson 
River. 

Past  experience  with  these  Morello-Lupo 
counterfeiters  had  taught  me  not  to  make  an 
arrest  until  I  had  the  net  completely  woven 
around  the  men  who  made  the  money.  It  is  fu- 
tile to  arrest  the  "pusher s-of-the-queer" — that  is, 
the  men  who  distribute  the  bad  money  among  the 
little  Italian  grocery  stores  and  shoe  shops,  small 
merchants,  and  the  like.  The  arrest  of  these  men 
only  serves  to  warn  the  manufacturers  of  the  bad 
money  that  the  Secret  Service  is  on  the  trail. 
The  factory  then  closes  down,  and  it  is  moved 
away  to  another  location.  Even  if  a  conviction 
of  the  distributor  of  the  bad  money  is  obtained, 
no  definite  information  can  be  obtained  from  the 
convicted  man.  He  could  not  tell  the  govern- 
ment anji;hing  of  value  even  if  he  wished  to 
"squeal."  As  a  rule,  all  that  a  "pusher"  or  dis- 
tributor can  tell  is  where  he  got  the  bad  money. 

Here  is  where  Antonio  Cecala  looms  up  as  a 
very  important  criminal  factor  in  the  counterfeit- 
ing game  as  plied  by  the  Black  Handers  under 
the  leadership  of  Lupo  and  Morello.  Remem- 
ber this :  Lupo  and  Morello  always  remain  in  the 
background.     Cecala  was  the  connecting  link  be- 


COUNTERFEIT  BILLS  APPEAR     35 

tween  the  two  leaders  and  the  "pushers-of-the- 
queer." 

Cecala  was  the  man  who  got  in  touch  with 
those  who  wanted  to  buy  the  counterfeit  money 
to  circulate  it  at  the  rate  of  thirty-five  cents  on 
the  dollar. 

H  Cecala  was  careful  to  deal  only  with  men  whom 
he  knew — men  who  were  from  Corleone.  He 
i would  pick  six  of  these  as  his  deputies.  These 
deputies  would  choose  six  others,  and  so  on. 
Cecala  made  business  trips  to  other  cities  and 
took  the  orders  for  counterfeit  money.  He  also 
had  the  say  as  to  whom  should  be  the  agent  in 
each  city  directly  responsible  to  him.  These  va- 
rious deputies  were  required  to  give  their  O.  K. 
before  any  money  would  be  sent  to  or  given  to 
any  person  by  Cecala. 

As  soon  as  Cecala  would  receive  a  request  from 
a  deputy  for  money  to  be  passed  to  certain  Ital- 
ians asking  for  it,  it  was  Cecala's  job  to  go  to 
Lupo  and  Morello  and  obtain  their  sanction  be- 
fore the  money  would  be  handed  along  down  the 
line  from  the  distributing  plant  to  the  person 
buying  it  at  thirty-five  cents  on  the  dollar  for  the 
obvious  purpose  of  "pushing"  it  off  on  some  un- 
wary store-keeper. 


36         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

The  reader  can  now  readily  appreciate  that 
with  a  crafty  organization  like  this  the  "pusher'* 
could  not  testify,  even  if  he  desired,  that  he  had 
got  the  bad  money  from  either  Lupo  or  Morello. 
In  fact,  the  "pusher"  never  even  heard  of  either 
of  the  leaders  except  in  some  indirect  way.  Al- 
ways, however,  when  the  money  was  passed  over 
to  the  pusher  by  one  of  Cecala's  deputies  or  re- 
mote subordinates  a  sinister  warning  was  given 
not  to  "squeal"  if  caught — a  warning  always  por- 
tentous with  the  threat  of  murder. 

To  "squeal"  meant  fatal  punishment.  The 
man  in  the  barrel  is  grim  testimony  to  that  fact. 

At  about  this  time  I  had  pretty  good  evidence 
that  the  leaders  of  the  counterfeiting  gang  were 
none  other  than  Morellu  and  Lupo,  as  I  had  sus- 
pected from  the  outset.  Still,  the  time  was  not 
ripe  to  make  arrests  that  would  result  in  dead- 
sure  convictions.  It  is  true  the  two  leaders  could 
be  arrested  and  charged  with  the  making  of  these 
counterfeit  notes,  but  where  was  the  evidence 
connecting  them  with  either  the  passing  or  the 
manufacture  of  the  bills? 

Let  me  here  recite  the  case  of  Giuseppe  Bos- 
carini  just  to  help  the  reader  appreciate  how  very 
difficult  it  would  be,  at  that  juncture,  to  get 


COUNTERFEIT  BILLS  APPEAR    37 

Lupo  and  Morello  involved  in  a  way  that  would 
satisfy  a  court  and  jury  that  they  were  legally 
guilty  of  making  and  of  passing  counterfeit 
money: 

While  in  Pittston,  Pa.,  I  learned  that  a  man 
in  that  city  named  Sam  Locino  knew  Boscarini, 
a  New  York  agent  of  the  Black  Hand  Society. 
After  talking  with  Locino  for  some  time  he  told 
me  that  Boscarini  had  made  several  trips  to 
Pittston  lately,  and  that  Boscarini  was  willing  to 
sell  counterfeit  money  to  him.  When  Locino 
mentioned  Boscarini's  name  I  felt  sure  that  the 
Pittston  man  was  talking  of  one  of  Cecala's  most 
active  deputies. 

In  order  to  see  how  far  Locino  could  go  with 
Boscarini,  and  whether  Cecala's  deputy  would 
turn  counterfeit  money  over  to  Locino,  I  made 
the  latter  write  a  letter  in  the  Sicilian  dialect  to 
Boscarini  asking  the  deputy  of  Cecala  to  send  a 
sample  of  the  counterfeit  money  in  order  that 
Locino  might  see  what  it  was  like  and  whether 
he  thought  he  would  be  able  to  get  rid  of  some 
of  it  in  Pittston. 

When  Locino  had  finished  the  letter  I  took  it 
over  to  the  post  office,  and  with  the  Mayor  of 
the  city  and  the  Chief  of  Police  as  witnesses  I 


38         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

had  the  letter  registered  and  addressed  to  Bos- 
carini.  I  came  back  on  the  same  train  that 
brought  the  letter  to  New  York,  and  when  Bos- 
carini  signed  for  it  at  the  registry  window,  this 
act  of  his  was  noted  down  by  men  of  the  Secret 
Service. 

The  next  day  Boscarini  went  to  a  sub  post- 
office  on  the  Bowery  and  bought  a  special  deliv- 
ery and  a  two-cent  stamp.  He  placed  the 
stamps  upside  down  on  a  large  white  envelope. 
An  agent  of  the  Service  saw  him  buy  the  stamps 
and  place  them  on  the  envelope;  also,  the  agent 
saw  the  fictitious  return  address  which  Boscarini 
put  on  the  envelope:  the  agent  saw  this  as  Bos- 
carini put  the  letter  into  the  slot  at  the  sub- 
station. 

I  returned  to  Pittston  on  the  same  train  with 
the  letter  and  notified  Locino  that  the  letter  was 
addressed  to  him  at  the  General  Delivery.  He 
got  the  letter  and  opened  it  in  my  presence.  It 
contained  a  counterfeit  two-dollar  bill  and  a 
counterfeit  five-dollar  bill  of  the  kind  made  by 
the  Morello  gang. 

Then  I  sent  Locino  to  New  York  and  gave 
him  thirty-five  dollars  with  which  to  buy  one 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  the  counterfeit  money 


COUNTERFEIT  BILLS  APPEAR     39 

from  Boscarini.  I  saw  to  it  that  the  genuine 
money  was  secretly  marked  for  the  purpose  of 
"getting"  it  on  some  member  of  the  gang  when 
the  raid  would  come  and  in  which  I  contemplated 
taking  Morello  and  Lupo  together  with  Cecala, 
Boscarini  and  others. 

Locino  contrived  to  meet  Boscarini  at  Mul- 
berry and  Prince  Streets,  and  the  two  talked  it 
over.  An  appointment  was  made  by  Boscarini 
to  meet  Locino  again  on  the  same  day. 

One  of  the  things  I  had  ferreted  out  mean- 
while was  to  locate  the  headquarters  for  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  bad  money  as  being  at  No.  231 
East  Ninety-seventh  Street.  Secret  Service 
men  had  hired  apartments  across  the  street  from 
this  place,  and  were  watching  every  one  that  en- 
tered and  left  the  place.  Their  view  was  inter- 
fered with  by  great  boxes  of  macaroni  and  other 
Italian  groceries  piled  high  in  the  windows  of  the 
store.  My  men  also  learned  that  it  was  here, 
behind  the  macaroni  boxes,  that  secret  confer- 
ences were  being  held  between  Cecala,  Morello, 
Lupo  and  others.  A  conference  would  never 
last  more  than  fifteen  minutes.  The  store  was 
run  by  Morello,  Lupo  and  others.  It  was  a 
wholesale  store.     The  small  Italian  grocers  in 


40         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

New  York  were  compelled  to  make  their  pur- 
chases there  at  the  peril  of  being  wrecked  by  a 
bomb  if  they  did  not.-  To  this  store  went  Bos- 
carini  when  he  left  Locino  at  Mulberry  and 
Prince  Streets.  At  the  Ninety-seventh  Street 
store  Boscarini  met  Cecala  and  several  others  of 
the  gang.  Returning  to  meet  Locino,  Boscarini 
handed  over  a  roll  of  bills  to  the  Pittston  man. 
Secret  Service  men  saw  the  bills  handed  over. 
Locino  handed  the  bills  to  me.  When  the  bills 
were  examined  they  were  found  to  be  counter- 
feits of  the  same  make  as  those  previously  sent  to 
Locino  in  the  letter. 

Even  then  we  made  no  arrest.  It  would  have 
been  a  foolish  piece  of  business  at  that  time,  for  I 
was  busy  on  other  ends  of  the  case  pulling  in 
valuable  threads  of  evidence.  After  the  lapse  of 
a  week  Locino  came  to  New  York  from  Pittston 
and  purchased  more  of  the  counterfeit  money 
from  Boscarini,  giving  in  return  genuine  money, 
which  was  secretly  marked. 

Finally  the  time  arrived  when  the  government 
had  evidence  which  was  deemed  sufficient  to  con- 
vict most  of  the  band.  The  raid  was  made. 
When  Cecala  was  seized  and  searched  there  was 
found  on  him  two  of  the  genuine  bills  with  the 


COUNTERFEIT  BILLS  APPEAR    41 

secret  marks  which  I  had  placed  on  the  bills 
given  to  Locino. 

Locino's  testimony,  the  reader  will  see,  was 
necessary  in  order  to  secure  a  conviction  of  Bos- 
carini  and  Cecala.  By  Locino's  telling  what 
part  he  had  played  in  the  game  the  government 
was  put  in  position  to  verify  the  following  com- 
plete chain  of  evidence :  Locino  writing  the  let- 
ter to  Boscarini  and  asking  for  the  counterfeit 
samples;  Boscarini  receiving  the  letter,  and  re- 
ceipting for  it;  Boscarini  posting  the  answering 
letter  to  Locino,  the  letter  on  which  the  Secret 
Service  man  saw  the  stamps  placed  upside  down 
on  the  long  white  envelope.  Then,  further,  Lo- 
cino receiving  the  letter  at  the  General  Delivery, 
and  his  opening  it  in  my  presence  and  finding  the 
counterfeit  two-  and  five-dollar  bills.  Locino 
could  testify  that  he  got  counterfeit  money  from 
Boscarini  and  had  given  him  the  genuine  money 
secretly  marked  in  return  for  the  spurious  bills, 
thus  directly  connecting  Boscarini  with  the 
charge  of  passing  spurious  money.  Also,  Lo- 
cino could  verify  my  testimony  of  secret  marks 
being  placed  on  the  bills,  so  that  when  the  marked 
bills  were  found  on  Cecala,  Locino  could  identify 
them  as  the  ones  he  had  given  to  Boscarini  in 


42  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

return  for  the  counterfeit  money  passed  by  Bos- 
carini  to  him.  Locino  could  thus  connect  Bos- 
carini  and  Cecala.  Other  evidence  connecting 
Cecala  with  Boscarini  was  in  my  possession,  but 
which  I  need  not  give  here.  It  merely  served  to 
corroborate  the  testimony  of  Lucino. 

Locino  was  perfectly  well  aware  what  it  meant 
to  go  on  the  witness  stand  and  "squeal."  He  had 
heard  of  the  man  in  the  barrel.  After  some 
weeks  of  thinking  the  matter  over  Locino  loos- 
ened up  and  declared  that  he  had  an  ancient 
wrong  to  right !  He  never  explained  to  me  fur- 
ther just  what  his  grievance  against  the  "Black 
Handers"  was.  He  finally  made  up  his  mind  to 
take  the  stand  and  tell  what  he  knew. 

Needless  to  say  that  Boscarini  was  sentenced 
to  fifteen  years  in  the  Federal  Penitentiary  at 
Atlanta,  Georgia.  But  it  is  worth  mentioning 
here  that  shortly  after  Boscarini  received  his  sen- 
tence Locino  was  shot  twice  in  the  back  of  the 
head  at  Pittston.  He  survived,  however,  and  is 
confident  that  he  will  be  able  to  take  care  of  him- 
self for  many  years  to  come. 

The  point  I  want  to  make  clear  by  relating  this 
story  of  facts  is  as  follows: 

I  traced  the  connection  of  Cecala  with  the 


COUNTERFEIT  BILLS  APPEAR     43 

passing  of  these  counterfeit  bills  by  finding  the 
genuine  money  with  the  secret  marks  on  him. 
Nevertheless,  I  had  not  reached  the  leaders, 
Lupo  and  Morello,  who  were  still  in  the  back- 
ground serenely  confident  that  they  could  not  be 
legally  implicated  in  the  passing  or  the  manu- 
facturing of  the  counterfeit  bills. 

True,  we  could  prove  that  Cecala  and  Morello 
and  Lupo  had  met  many  times,  and  that  they 
had  been  to  the  houses  of  one  another  and  eaten 
at  the  same  table.  Other  evidence  of  a  like  na- 
ture could  be  produced;  but  such  evidence  was 
not  sufficient  to  convict  the  two  leaders  of  the 
charge  of  either  passing,  having  in  their  posses- 
sion, making  or  causing  to  be  made,  any  of  the 
counterfeit  notes  which  were  being  poured  into 
the  great  centers  of  population  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  Had  I  stopped  with  Locino's  tes- 
timony, I  never  could  have  got  the  leaders.  But 
the  Secret  Service  never  leaves  the  trail  of  the 
counterfeiter,  and  the  way  in  which  the  long  arm 
of  the  government  reached  out  for  the  "Black 
Hand"  leaders,  who  loomed  in  the  shadowy  dis- 
tance like  the  silhouettes  of  devils  incarnate,  will 
be  told  here  for  the  first  time. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  GREENHORN'S  STORY 

In  the  latter  part  of  June,  1907,  a  young  Ital- 
ian landed  in  New  York  from  the  southern  part 
of  Italy.  He  was  an  ambitious  sort  of  clever 
chap.  He  not  only  spoke  his  mother  tongue 
well,  but  he  had  a  good  command  of  Spanish 
and  French  and  was  posted  on  several  of  the 
dialects  current  in  the  "boot"  or  southern  part  of 
Italy.  He  knew  very  little  of  the  English 
tongue,  however.  Among  his  various  accom- 
plishments he  was  also  a  practical  printer. 

The  career  of  this  young  man  up  to  the  time 
of  his  landing  at  Ellis  Island  is  significant,  to 
say  the  least.  He  was  a  native  of  the  little  town 
of  Cananzero  in  Calabria,  one  of  the  provinces 
of  southern  Italy.  He  had  been  a  teacher  there 
and  had  taught  technical  subjects.  Later  on  he 
taught  in  private,  and  finally  became  an  instruc- 
tor in  government  schools.     From  Italy  he  had 

44 


THE  GREENHORN'S  STORY      45 

gone  to  Brazil,  where  he  spent  seven  years  of 
his  time.  He  had  engaged  in  teaching  school 
there,  and  he  had  also  worked  at  the  printing 
trade  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  capital  of  Brazil. 
At  one  time  he  had  been  engaged  by  the  Italian 
Consul  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  to  assist  that  official  in 
legal  matters. 

The  young  man's  name  was  Antonio  Viola 
Comito. 

In  course  of  time  he  proved  to  be  the  connect- 
ing link  that  joined  the  chain  of  evidence  identi- 
fying Lupo  and  Morello  legally  and  inseparately 
with  the  counterfeiting  gang  which  manufac- 
tured and  distributed  the  counterfeit  money  in 
the  summer  of  1909.  His  own  story  in  full, 
which  has  never  been  made  public  before,  is  given 
here.  This  story  of  his  contains  many  state- 
ments which  ought  to  interest  the  public,  state- 
ments that  were  not  divulged  by  Comito  even 
at  the  trial  where  he  was  the  pivot  upon  which 
turned  the  conviction  of  the  most  notorious  and 
troublesome  band  of  counterfeiters  this  country 
ever  knew.  As  a  result  of  his  damaging  evi- 
dence, the  gang  vowed  to  destroy  him.  He  has 
changed  his  identity  completely  meanwhile,  how- 
ever, and  was  last  heard  from  in  South  America, 


46         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

where  he  is  very  prosperous.  He  has  a  good 
deal  more  courage  than  his  own  story,  as  told  by 
him,  would  indicate.  He  will  never  be  reached 
by  the  Black-Hand  gang  without  several  of  them 
paying  with  their  lives  for  his.  He  is  confident 
of  that. 

Comito's  own  story  follows: 

"The  reader  will  pardon  me,'  if,  in  reading  this 
story  of  my  life  in  New  York,  there  are  errors  of 
language  and  periods  not  well  expressed. 

"During  the  latter  part  of  1908  and  a  good 
part  of  1909, 1  had  occasion  to  know  many  male- 
factors who  horrified  me  from  the  very  start,  and 
whom  I  gradually  came  to  fear  as  I  studied 
their  brutal  character.  I  refrained  from  de- 
nouncing these  men  to  the  police  because  I  was 
constantly  in  danger  of  losing  my  life  had  I 
done  so. 

"These  men  were  the  leaders  of  the  notorious 
'Black-Hand'  Society,  which  spreads  terror 
among  the  Italians  all  over  the  United  States. 
While  among  them  I  studied  the  badness,  the 
power,  the  brutality  and  the  arrogance  of  the 
counterfeiter  and  the  assassin. 

"They  were  not  a  very  civil  lot.  They  were 
villains  incarnate.     One  of  their  characteristic 


THE  GREENHORN'S  STORY      47 

traits  is  that  one  alone  would  not  commit  a  crime 
because  of  cowardice.  When  a  'job'  was  to  be 
executed  it  was  always  carried  out  by  three  or 
four  directed  by  a  'corporal,'  who  was  put  in 
charge  by  the  head  bandit.  This  'corporal' 
bossed  the  job,  remaining  all  the  while  in  the 
distance  so  that  in  case  the  operations  of  those 
committing  the  deed  were  discovered  by  the  po- 
lice the  'corporal'  would  be  sure  to  escape  and 
report  the  circumstances  to  the  head  bandit  of 
the  society.  The  head  bandit  would  in  turn  no- 
tify all  the  other  members,  when  a  counsel  would 
be  called  at  which  steps  would  be  taken  to  aid 
those  apprehended  by  the  police. 

"What  puzzled  me  not  a  little  was  the  fact  that 
when  it  came  to  going  to  trial  for  an  offense  no 
eye-witness  would  ever  appear  in  court  to  tell 
of  the  crime  with  which  the  members  under  ar- 
rest might  be  charged.  Those  arrested  usually 
gave  fictitious  names,  and  when  placed  on  trial 
they  were  always  freed.  These  men  governed 
their  association  by  secret  orders.  They  oper- 
ated on  a  vast  scale  and  extended  their  crime 
even  to  the  kidnapping  of  little  children." 

At  this  point  Comito  enters  a  long  apology 
to  those  people  of  Southern  Italy  who  are  good 


48  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

citizens  and  law-abiding.  He  does  not  refer  in 
this  article,  he  says,  to  the  honest  Sicilians,  who 
labor  and  earn  their  living  honestly.  It  is  of 
the  malefactors,  he  says,  that  he  speaks. 

Comito  then  tells  of  entering  New  York  and 
meeting  his  brother  at  the  Battery.  He  relates 
his  sensations  at  seeing  the  tall  buildings  of  New 
York  and  the  hurrying  crowds  in  the  noisy 
streets. 

After  going  to  the  home  of  his  brother  in 
Bleecker  Street,  Comito  says: 

"During  the  dinner  I  was  carefully  advised 
by  my  uncle,  an  intelligent  man  and  very  cau- 
tious, having  served  the  Italian  government  for 
twelve  years  as  non-commissioned  officer  in  the 
line  infantry.  He  said,  'Do  not  acquire  bad 
friendships.  Be  careful  of  traps  that  strangers 
may  lay  for  you.  There  exists  in  New  York  a 
band  of  malefactors  which  bear  the  name  of 
Black  Hand.  Every  day  this  band  commits 
crimes,  assassinating  persons,  setting  fire  to 
houses,  breaking  in  doors,  exploding  bombs,  and 
kidnapping  children/ 

"He  told  me  also  never  to  tell  any  one  where 
I  worked  and  how  much  I  earned.  He  advised 
me  to  think  only  of  bettering  my  condition  and 


THE  GREENHORN'S  STORY       49 

that  of  my  family,  because  in  America,  in  time, 
the  man  with  a  good  will  can  acquire  a  good 
position." 

Perhaps  these  words  that  follow  may  be  of 
interest  to  the  reader  in  getting  an  insight  into 
the  mentality  of  the  newly  arrived  immigrant. 
Says  Comito: 

"My  only  wish  was  to  work  and  put  aside 
something;  to  economize,  and  so  help  the  condi- 
tion of  my  family  and  provide  some  day  for  my 
daughter  that  she  might  have  a  profession.  I 
did  not  think  of  evil,  and  hoped  from  day  to  day 
to  find  occupation.  I  was  a  printer,  and,  though 
I  did  not  know  English,  I  felt  confident  of  find- 
ing work  in  some  Italian  printing-office." 

Comito  then  tells  of  finding  employment  in 
the  Italian  printing  house  of  M.  Dassori,  at  No. 
178  Park  Row,  where  he  was  getting  along  well. 
He  tells  of  sending  money  to  Italy  to  his  wife 
and  children.  He  tells  of  his  brother  here  intro- 
ducing him  to  honest  Italians  of  the  working 
class  and  of  how  he  joined  the  order  of  the  Sons 
of  Italy  and  also  the  Foresters  of  America. 
Comito  then  relates  his  rapid  rise  in  the  Forest- 
ers, mentioning  also  how  he  became  Supreme 
Deputy  of  the  Order  of  the  Sons  of  Italy,  be- 


50         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

sides  being  chosen  a  member  for  the  Congress 
of  Italians  abroad,  which  was  held  in  Rome  in 
1908.  He  dwells  on  his  losing  employment  be- 
cause of  lack  of  work  in  the  place  where  he  was 
employed.  After  getting  employment  again  he 
finds  himself  once  more  out  of  a  place,  about  the 
beginning  of  September,  1908.  He  tells  very 
frankly  of  taking  up  with  a  lady  named  Cat- 
erina  and  how  they  shared  the  apartment  which 
he  furnished  as  well  as  his  means  afforded.  He 
and  Caterina  lived  together,  he  says,  "respect- 
ing one  another  as  husband  and  wife."  Describ- 
ing his  affair  with  Caterina,  who,  by  the  way, 
enters  in  some  measure  into  the  counterfeiting 
story,  Comito  says : 

"I,  together  with  Caterina,  lived  agreeably, 
and  what  was  earned  weekly  was  divided  equally, 
and  we  did  not  take  into  account  which  earned 
the  more  or  the  less.  We  made  an  honest  front 
with  friends.  I  discharged  my  duties  with  the 
societies  with  zeal." 


CHAPTER  VI 

DON  PASQUALE,   BLACK-HAND   SKIRMISHER 

Here  is  where  Comito  gets  into  touch  with  a 
skirmisher,  if  I  may' use  the  word,  of  the  Black 
Handers.  The  skirmisher  is  the  scout  for  Lupo 
and  Morello  who  are,  as  usual,  in  the  distance, 
their  minds  ablaze  with  the  idea  of  getting  rich 
beyond  the  dreams  of  Aladdin  by  a  bold  coun- 
terfeiting stroke.  Comito  is  a  printer  out  of 
work.  Lupo  and  Morello  have  agents  who  tell 
them  of  such  things.  Comito  might  be  the  man 
to  run  a  printing  press  and  print  the  counterfeit 
bills.  And  so,  I  will  turn  you  over  to  Comito. 
Listen  to  his  own  story  once  more : 

"On  the  evening  of  November  5,  1908,  I  was 
at  a  meeting  of  the  Order  of  the  Sons  of  Italy, 
being  a  duty  I  owed  the  society  as  Supreme  Dep- 
uty to  attend  the  meetings  of  the  different 
lodges.  As  was  the  custom  toward  the  end  of 
the  meeting  I  chatted  with  the  various  members 

51 


52         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

of  the  order,  some  of  whom  I  knew  by  name  and 
others  whom  I  knew  only  by  sight. 

"That  same  night  a  member  by  the  name  of 
Don  Pasquale,  a  Sicilian,  came  to  me,  clasped 
my  hand,  and  without  further  ceremony  said: 
'Professor,  will  you  take  a  walk  with  me?  I 
have  something  to  say  that  might  interest  you.' 

"When  we  were  outside,  Don  Pasquale  said 
to  me: 

"  'I  know  you  are  seeking  work  and  that  you 
are  a  good  printer.  A  friend  of  mine  is  propri- 
etor of  a  printing  shop  in  Philadelphia.  If  you 
wish  I  can  recommend  you;  but  you  must  go  to 
Philadelphia  to  work.' 

"  'It  makes  no  difference  to  me  where  I 
work,'  "  was  Comito's  answer. 

Don  Pasquale  got  Comito's  address  and  said 
that  he  would  arrange  to  have  his  Philadelphia 
printer  friend  meet  Comito  at  the  latter's  home. 
Comito  then  explains  that  the  title  "Don"  is  used 
by  Sicilians  as  a  mark  of  respect  among  the 
working  class,  and  that  the  word  "Uncle"  is  em- 
ployed in  addressing  people  advanced  in  years 
in  the  same  sense. 

Comito  recalls  the  knock  on  his  door  on  the 
morning  of  November  6.     He  says : 


DON  PASQUALE  53 

"I  opened  and  saw  Don  Pasquale  with  his 
friend.  I  motioned  them  to  enter  and  sit  down. 
Don  Pasquale  said:  'Mr.  Comito,  I  present  to 
you  my  friend,  Don  Antonio  Cecala,  proprietor 
of  a  printing  shop  in  Philadelphia.' 

"  'Are  you  a  printer?'  asked  Cecala. 

"  'Yes,'  I  answered. 

"  'Well,'  he  continued,  'I  am  the  proprietor  of 
a  shop  in  Philadelphia  and  in  need  of  a  trust- 
worthy man  who  can  take  care  of  my  affairs 
when  I  am  absent  looking  out  for  my  business 
as  an  inspector  of  Singer  Sewing  Machines. 
You  can  come  to  an  agreement  with  me  and 
establish  yourself  with  your  wife  in  Philadelphia. 
In  that  way  I  can  be  sure  of  your  honesty,'  said 
Cecala  to  me. 

"  'But,'  I  replied,  'I  don't  think  that  I  am  go- 
ing to  your  printing  shop  to  act  as  boss.  You 
have  other  men  that  work  there?' 

"  'Yes,  there  are  other  men,  but  they  are  not 
capable  for  the  trade  I  have  because  they  do  not 
do  this  kind  of  work.' 

"And  saying  this,  Cecala  showed  me  some 
money  order  blanks,  stamped  envelopes,  com- 
mercial papers  and  some  hand  bills.  I  replied 
that  it  was  just  such  work  that  I  could  do, 


54  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

and  that  if  the  men  employed  by  him  were  not 
able  to  do  such  work  they  were  not  printers. 

"  'Well,  as  you  are  a  practical  man  at  such 
work,  you  may  remain  alone  in  the  shop  and  will 
assume  full  responsibility.  Therefore,  prepare 
your  things  and  tell  your  Mrs.  not  to  continue 
working.  However,  if  she  wants  to  work  in 
Philadelphia,  then  she  may  do  so.  Together 
you  will  soon  be  rich.'  " 

Cecala  agreed  to  pay  the  rent  due  for  the 
rooms  occupied  by  Comito  and  his  mistress,  be- 
sides what  he  owed  elsewhere.  The  weekly  sal- 
ary was  agreed  upon,  and  in  the  event  that  Co- 
mito should  not  care  to  remain  at  the  job  he  was 
to  receive  his  return  fare  to  New  York. 

The  reader  will  appreciate  the  humor  of  this 
arrangement  as  he  gets  along  further  in  the 
story. 

"  'Then  you  wish  that  the  lady  come  with  me?' 

"  'Surely.     The  lady  is  necessary  for  you.' 

"  'But  don't  you  want  me  to  go  first  and  find 
a  house  to  live  in?' 

"  'There  is  no  need  of  that.  The  house  is 
ready.     It  is  my  property.' 

"  'When  you  say  that  you  will  provide  for 
everything,  I  am  ready  to  leave  to-morrow.' 


DON  PASQUALE  55 

"In  the  evening  Caterina  came  home  from 
work.  I  told  her  what  had  happened.  She  did 
not  care  to  leave  her  work,  adding  that  we  were 
without  means  and  could  not  afford  to  undertake 
the  trip.  I  assured  her,  however,  that  all  ex- 
penses would  be  paid,  and  she  finally  consented 
to  come  along.  We  prepared  the  household  fur- 
nishings for  shipment,  Cecala  insisting  that  we 
take  all  the  stuff  with  us." 

Comito  then  tells  of  being  taken  to  a  photo- 
material  store.  Cecala  bought  a  camera,  some 
plates,  bath  platters,  chemicals,  a  tripod,  paper, 
and  a  case.  Comito  was  induced  to  go  to  the 
printing  house,  where  he  had  been  formerly  em- 
ployed, and  make  a  "dicker"  for  the  purchase  of 
a  printing  press.  The  press  was  secured  and 
everything  was  made  ready  for  the  trip  to  Phil- 
adelphia. Then  Cecala  called  and  introduced  a 
certain  "Don  Turi,"  otherwise  Cina,  as  his  god- 
father. "He  is  a  rich  proprietor  in  Philadel- 
phia," said  Cecala.  "Do  not  mind  his  ordinary 
clothes;  he  is  a  man  of  gentle  manners."  Co- 
mito's  own  description  of  the  rough  looking  Cina 
adds  a  streak  of  humor  to  the  situation.  As  to 
"gentle  manners"  Cina  almost  maimed  Comito 
when  he  shook  hands  with  him.     Comito  was 


56  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

also  introduced  to  a  fellow  by  the  name  of  Syl- 
vester. 

It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on  the 
same  day  that  the  whole  pack  of  them — Cecala, 
Cina,  Don  Pasquale  and  Sylvester — rushed  into 
the  little  apartment  of  Comito,  and,  as  he  says, 
"without  any  talking,  began  to  label  the  furni- 
ture." This  move  was  made  after  Cecala  had 
paid  the  rent  that  morning. 

Comito  had  not  put  any  address  on  his  stuff 
because  Cecala  had  assured  him  that  all  the  fur- 
niture would  be  put  on  a  wagon,  and  that  the 
wagon  and  all  would  go  under  his  name  to  Phil- 
adelphia. Comito  observed  a  bundle  labeled: 
"A.  Cina,  Highland,  New  York." 

Turning  to  Cecala,  he  said:  "Don't  we  go  to 
Philadelphia?" 

"A — ha,  ha,  ha — a,  ha,  a,  ha,  ha,  ha,  ha,"  leered 
Cecala.  "This  is  the  place  the  boat  stops  and 
then  we  go  twenty  minutes  by  foot.  Have  no 
fear ;  we  will  go  by  carriage." 

"Do  we  not  go  by  rail?" 

"No,"  grunted  Cecala.  "It  costs  too  much, 
and  we  cannot  load  all  your  goods  on  the 
train." 

Upon  inquiring  what  time  Cecala  expected  to 


DON  PASQUALE  57 

arrive  at  Philadelphia,  Comito  was  informed 
about  eight  o'clock,  and  that  it  would  be  all  the 
better  to  arrive  after  dark  because  "no  one  will 
see  what  we  are  doing,  and  we  will  give  an  ac- 
counting to  no  one."  Cecala  also  assured  Co- 
mito that  there  would  be  no  delay  once  they  got 
off  the  boat,  but  that  they  would  hurry  to  Ce- 
cala's  house  where  "we  will  eat  and  drink  wine 
and  warm  ourselves." 

In  this  manner  Comito's  fears  were  lulled  to 
sleep  by  the  promises  of  future  prosperity  that 
were  held  out  to  him.  There  would  never  be 
any  more  worry  or  struggle  for  gain  as  far  as 
Comito  was  concerned,  according  to  the  assur- 
ances of  Cecala  and  the  others.  Life  would  flow 
along  like  a  pleasant  dream  with  no  worries  of 
any  kind! 

"It  was  about  4 :30  P.  M.  of  that  same  day, 
November  11,  1908,  when  I  and  Caterina,  to- 
gether with  Cecala,  Cina,  Don  Pasquale  and  Syl- 
vester, went  on  board  the  boat,"  continues  Co- 
mito. "I  was  fully  convinced  that  we  were  go- 
ing to  Philadelphia.  I  was  quite  happy  think- 
ing that  by  working  honestly  I  would  prosper. 
When  we  were  about  two  hours  out  from  the 
pier  Cecala  came  to  me  and  said: 


58         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"  'Mr.  Comito,  we  are  about  to  make  a  bad 
showing/ 

"  'Why?'  I  asked. 

"  'Because  I  have  not  enough  money  to  pay 
the  fares  of  all  of  us/ 

"  'Why  pay  for  all?' 

"  'Because  they  are  my  friends,  and  my  god- 
father.    Then,  too,  you  saw  how  they  worked.' 

"  'But  they  could  have  remained  in  New 
York.' 

"  'No.     They  will  help  put  up  the  press,  etc. 

"  'This  is  just  a  circumstance,'  explained  Ce- 
cala.  'I  imagined  that  Cina  had  money  to  spare, 
but  he  has  forgotten  his  pocketbook.  We  are 
short  five  dollars.' 

"Not  knowing  what  to  do  about  it,  I  remained 
silent.  After  a  while  Cecala  turned  to  Caterina 
and  inquired:  'Mrs.,  have  you  any  money  with 
you?' 

"  'I  have  just  five  dollars,'  Caterina  replied 
innocently. 

"  'Well,  give  it  to  me  because  I  need  it.  I  will 
give  it  back  to-morrow,  as  soon  as  I  get  to  the 
house,'  suggested  the  bandit. 

"Caterina  stepped  aside  and  produced  a  five- 


DON  PASQUALE  59 

dollar  bill  from  her  stocking  where  she  had  hid- 
den it  for  an  emergency. 

"I  took  Caterina  aside  and  asked  her  why  she 
had  given  the  money  to  Cecala.  She  said  it 
would  be  all  right,  that  she  would  get  it  back 
to-morrow.  I  did  not  talk  any  more.  I  took  a 
rest  on  a  lounge,  until  about  nine  o'clock,  when 
I  heard  the  boat's  whistle.  It  was  the  signal  of 
our  approaching  a  dock.  I  jumped  up,  thinking 
I  was  at  Philadelphia,  and  woke  Caterina.  I 
was  surprised  when  Cecala  informed  me  that 
Philadelphia  was  a  little  farther  on,  and  that 
we  would  get  off  at  the  next  stop.  Making  fur- 
ther inquiries  as  to  the  location  of  Philadelphia, 
I  was  informed  in  a  very  brutal  manner  by  Cina 
that  he  did  not  know  when  the  boat  would  arrive, 
but  he  guessed  about  one  o'clock.  Right  then 
and  there  it  dawned  on  me  that  I  was  not  dealing 
with  honest  people,  but  with  a  dangerous  pack 
who  were  probably  trying  to  get  me  into  a  trap. 

"When  Caterina  heard  that  we  would  not  ar- 
rive until  one  A.  M.,  she  spoke  cross  to  me  and 
said  that  if  any  harm  came  to  her  I  was  respon- 
sible. I  consoled  her  as  well  as  I  could  and  re- 
sumed my  rest  on  the  lounge. 


60  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"It  was  about  half -past  twelve  that  night  when 
a  long,  resounding  toot  that  echoed  in  the  moun- 
tains announced  our  arrival  at  a  stopping  place. 
When  the  deck  hand  announced  the  name  of  the 
place,  which  did  not  sound  very  much  like  Phil- 
adelphia, I  asked  Cecala  whether  we  should  go 
ashore  here. 

"He  said  yes. 

"It  was  a  freezing  cold  night.  There  was 
snow  on  the  ground.  Caterina  and  I  were 
chilled  to  the  bone  and  very  nervous. 

"  'We  will  all  stop  at  my  godfather's  for  the 
night,  and,  if  necessary,  for  a  day  or  so  until  we 
are  rested,'  announced  Cecala.  'From  there  we 
will  continue  our  trip  to  Philadelphia,  which  is 
one  station  beyond  this  place.  We  will  do  the 
rest  of  the  journey  by  wagon. 

"  'This  is  Highland,1  New  York,'  said  Cecala, 
when  I  inquired  the  name  of  the  place. 

"After  a  short  wait  in  the  dark  near  the  dock 
we  heard  a  wagon  rushing  up  at  top  speed.  It 
was  driven  by  a  man  whom  Cecala  introduced 
me  to  as  another  godfather  of  his  who  was  named 
Vincenzio  Giglio.    Cina  and  Giglio  are  brothers- 

i  Highland  is  about  seven  miles  from  Ardonia,  N*ew  York,  where 
the  reader  will  remember  I  had  discovered  Lupo  was  in  hiding 
after  he  ran  away  from  his  creditors. 


DON  PASQUALE  61 

in-law  and  own  the  place  where  I  was  to  stop  that 
night,  Cecala  told  me. 

"We  arrived  at  Cina's  house  and  found  a  table 
prepared  for  dinner.  While  Cina  invited  Cate- 
rina  and  me  to  sit  down,  the  wives  of  Cina  and 
Giglio  brought  on  stuffed  chickens,  young  goats 
meat,  baked  potatoes,  wine.  The  dessert  was  of 
cheese,  apples  and  pears,  raised,  Cina  said,  on 
the  premises. 

"My  furniture  was  placed  in  a  house  near 
that  of  Cina  and  I  was  left  there  to  live  with 
Caterina  on  scanty  fare  and  without  money  un- 
til, as  Cecala  told  me,  the  printing  shop  would 
be  in  readiness.  I  was  told  to  have  my  mail  di- 
rected at  the  box  in  Highland,  New  York,  where 
Cina  had  his  mail  sent.  There  were  five  little 
children  playing  about  in  the  Cina  house.  I 
heard  Cecala  tell  Cina  to  make  out  a  list  of  food- 
stuffs needed  saying  that  he  would  see  Ignazio 
(Lupo)  and  have  him  ship  it  up  to  the  farm. 

"Cecala  then  took  his  departure  to  look  after 
his  business  as  a  'Singer  Sewing  Machine  In- 
spector.' " 

For  three  days  after  arriving  at  Cina's,  Co- 
mito  says,  he  and  Caterina  ate  at  Cina's  table. 
They  were  waiting  for  the  supplies  to  arrive 


62  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

from  Lupo,  and  which  Comito  and  Caterina 
were  to  eat  at  their  own  table.  'Concerning  this 
time  Comito  says: 

"In  the  three  following  days,  Caterina  and 
I  ate  at  Cina's  table  while  we  were  waiting  for 
supplies.  The  conversation  was  about  nothing 
but  homicides,  assassinations,  and  robberies.  At 
times  I  thought  my  hair  would  stand  on  end, 
but  I  tried  my  best  to  appear  unconcerned  even 
when  Caterina  glanced  at  me  in  dismay. 

"On  a  certain  cold  and  rainy  day,  I  shall  never 
forget,  while  we  were  all  huddled  around  the 
stove,  Cina  began  to  spin  his  yarns  and  boasted, 
among  other  exploits,  that  he  had  been  a  trusted 
man  of  the  notorious  bandit  Varsalona.  In  this 
way  Cina  had  became  implicated  in  the  murder 
of  a  school  teacher  in  his  native  town,  Bevona, 
in  the  province  of  Girgenta,  Sicily,  and  had  been 
obliged  to  flee  the  country  and  make  his  way  to 
America.  Cina  also  remarked  that  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Tampa,  Florida,  where  he  had  worked 
for  seven  years  as  a  cigar  maker.  He  married 
the  sister  of  his  intimate  friend  Giglio. 

"As  we  were  about  to  go  to  bed  that  night  I 
told  Caterina  that  we  had  better  plan  to  get 
back  to  New  York  somehow.     There  was  no 


DON  PASQUALE  63 

longer  any  doubt  in  my  mind  but  that  we  were 
in  the  hands  of  confirmed  criminals. 

"  'How  about  the  fare?'  answered  Caterina. 
'I  have  no  money  at  present.  If  you  want 
money  ask  godfather  Cina.' 

"I  did  not  sleep  a  wink  that  night.  I  was 
blaming  myself  for  having  induced  Caterina  to 
come  along.  In  the  morning  I  hurried  over  to 
talk  to  Cecala  to  make  arrangements  for  our  re- 
turn to  New  York,  but  to  my  surprise  Giglio 
informed  me  that  Cecala  and  Don  Pasquale  had 
gone  the  night  before  to  New  York. 

"I  complained  to  Giglio  of  the  manner  in 
which  Cecala  had  left  me  behind  with  Caterina 
without  money  or  return  fare  to  New  York. 

"With  apparent  good  grace  Giglio  replied 
that  I  should  have  a  little  patience  and  wait  un- 
til Cecala  returned. 

"  'Think  of  eating  and  drinking.  Don't 
worry.     Enjoy  yourself,'  he  said  with  a  grin. 

"The  manner  of  Giglio's  talk  quieted  me  a  lit- 
tle and  calmed  my  nerves ;  he  also  said  that  when 
it  was  not  raining  I  could  go  about  the  farm  to 
see  what  was  cultivated  and  could  roam  around 
and  forget  about  returning  to  New  York. 

"Caterina  and  I  had  to  worry  along  in  that 


64  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

godforsaken  place  until  December  7,  1908,  when 
I  was  informed  that  we  would  be  moved  to  the 
printing  shop.  A  wagon  was  coming  for  our 
furniture  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning." 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  PLANT  OF  THE   COUNTERFEITERS 

"And  a  truck  did  come  about  three  A.  M., 
December  8,  1908.  Along  with  us  came  Giglio 
and  another  man  named  Bernardo,  a  man  with 
a  ruddy  complexion  and  a  large  mouth.  We 
crossed  through  the  village  and  after  about  two 
and  a  half  hours'  ride  arrived  in  front  of  an  old, 
deserted  stone  house  situated  in  the  woods,  off 
the  road  about  twenty  paces.  Bernardo  said 
laughingly: 

11  'Here  is  the  printing  shop.  Don't  you  like 
it?' 

"  'No,'  I  replied. 

"  'Tell  that  to  Cecala  when  he  comes,'  said 
Cina. 

"  'But  this  is  no  place  for  a  printing  shop,'  I 
continued,  Caterina  watching  me  with  glaring 
eyes. 

"  'Come,  don't  lose  time,'  roared  Cina.     'Un- 

65 


66  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

load  the  stuff  before  some  one  comes  along  and 
we  are  seen.' 

"  'I  will  go  back  with  Caterina.' 

"  *  Where  to?'  inquired  Cina. 

"  'To  the  house  where  I  was ;  then  to  New 
York.' 

"  'The  house  where  you  were  is  rented  to  a 
party  coming  from  'New  York.  You  cannot 
stay  in  my  house  because  there  are  too  many 
children  there.  When  Cecala  comes  you  can 
speak  to  him.' 

"  'But  I  don't  want  to  stay  alone  here  in  the 
woods.' 

"  'Have  no  fear.  My  brother-in-law  and  Ber- 
nardo will  stay  with  you.  And  then,  of  whom 
are  you  afraid?  No  one  passes  on  this  road  ex- 
cept at  10  A.  M.,  when  the  letter  carrier  goes 

by-' 

"By  the  time  this  conversation  ended  my  furni- 
ture was  all  inside  the  door.  Cina  told  Giglio 
to  get  the  stove  ready  for  it  was  very  cold.  Cina 
hinted  that  he  was  going  away  soon.  Hearing 
Cina  say  this,  I  told  him  I  wanted  to  return  to 
the  village. 

"  'You  are  crazy,'  he  said.  'Have  you  money 
to  pay  me  for  returning  your  goods?    Besides, 


THE  PLANT  67 

I  am  not  going  to  the  village.  I  am  going  six 
miles  in  the  other  direction  to  buy  hay  for  the 
horses.  Cecala  may  be  back  to-morrow.  Talk 
to  him.  My  brother  will  bring  you  stuff  to  eat. 
So,  why  worry?' 

"Later,  I  overheard  Cina  whisper  to  Giglio: 

"  'I  got  close  to  Caterina,  who  was  in  the  door- 
step almost  crying,  and  tried  to  comfort  her.,  say- 
ing that  when  we  were  left  alone  we  would  get 
away. 

"  'Where  is  the  fare?'  Caterina  is  supposed  to 
have  asked  him. 

"Finally  Cina  departed.  Giglio  and  Bernardo 
remained  and  began  to  arrange  the  furniture  as 
best  they  could. 

"Calmed  of  my  anger,  I  went  into  the  house 
and  looked  around.  I  found  a  large  room  that 
served  as  a  kitchen  and  a  back  room  for  a  store- 
room on  the  ground  floor.  Up  the  stairway  and 
on  the  second  floor  I  found  three  small  rooms 
and  a  large  room.  Another  flight  of  steps  led 
to  a  garret.  In  the  large  room  on  the  second 
floor  I  saw  the  press.  It  had  been  brought 
there  while  I  was  remaining  at  the  farmhouse 
near  Cina's.  It  was  the  same  press  I  had  dick- 
ered for.     There  was  a  dilapidated  bed  in  one 


68  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

of  the  three  small  rooms  on  this  floor,  which 
Giglio  had  fixed  up  the  best  he  could  under  the 
circumstances.  As  I  was  looking  around  the 
place  I  was  convinced  that  I  had  been  led  into 
a  trap  of  some  kind,  but  it  never  entered  my 
head  that  I  had  been  brought  up  there  for  the 
purpose  of  printing  counterfeit  money!  I 
thought  that  perhaps  they  wanted  me  for  print- 
ing obscene  literature,  such  as  is  prohibited  by 
law,  but  on  looking  closer  I  did  not  discover  any 
type,  and  my  mind  began  to  get  busy  trying  to 
figure  out  what  a  press  without  type  and  acces- 
sories could  be  intended  for  placed  in  a  desolate 
house  in  the  backwoods. 

"It  must  have  been  about  eleven  o'clock  that 
morning  when  I  saw  a  short-set  man,  possibly 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years  old,  driving  up.  He 
was  a  man  of  dark  complexion  with  a  large 
moustache,  dressed  like  a  farmer  with  big  shoes 
and  red  handkerchief  around  his  neck,  wearing 
a  cap  *A  la  Sicilian.'  He  proved  to  be  Cina's 
brother  Peppino.  He  entered  the  house  and 
said  that  he  was  bringing  the  supplies.  He  set 
down  a  bag  of  100  pounds  of  potatoes,  about 
forty  pounds  of  flour  to  make  bread,  a  bottle  of 
olive  oil,  a  case  of  maccaroni,  olives,  smoked  fish, 


THE  PLANT  69 

salt,  kerosene,  onions  and  a  small  form  of  cheese, 
as  well  as  twenty  small  cans  containing  tomato 
sauce.  Unloading  this  stuff  without  ever  utter- 
ing a  word,  the  short-set  fellow  waved  his  hand 
at  Giglio  and  Bernardo  as  he  started  on  his  way. 
Before  leaving  the  house,  though,  he  uttered  the 
words  'Be  careful.' 

"Giglio  now  ordered  Caterina  to  cook,  saying 
that  he  was  hungry.  Caterina,  realizing  that 
she  had  to  deal  with  bad  people,  prepared  a  meal. 
Four  days  went  by  and  on  the  fifth  Giglio  and 
Bernardo  left,  saying  that  they  were  going  to 
get  something  to  eat  as  the  provisions  brought 
by  Peppino  could  not  last  much  longer.  We 
were  then  living  on  baked  potatoes  and  plain 
bread. 

"I  remained  alone  with  Caterina  in  that  iso- 
lated house  for  two  days  without  seeing  any  one. 
It  was  snowing.  I  could  not  go  out.  Those 
days  passed  like  so  many  years.  Caterina  was 
taken  ill  with  a  fever.  I  almost  despaired. 
Where  could  I  go  for  help  ?  I  knew  no  one  and 
there  was  no  house  nearby.  During  those  awful 
days  suicide  was  continually  in  my  mind.  Then 
again  the  thought  would  come  to  me — why  should 
you?    What  for?    Why  abandon  my  wife,  my 


70         tTHE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

parents,  my  relatives?  No,  I  reflected,  better 
fight  it  out  to  the  end  and  see  what  those  bandits 
have  up  their  sleeve. 

"On  the  morning  of  December  15, 1908,  it  was 
snowing  large  flakes  and  it  was  bitter  cold. 
There  came  a  knock  on  the  door.  Cecala  and 
Cina  entered.  Both  of  them  laughed  boister- 
ously when  they  saw  me. 

"This  angered  me,  and  I  declared  that  I  was 
not  to  be  treated  any  longer  as  if  I  were  a  child. 

"  'Very  well,'  said  Cecala.  'If  you  were  a 
child  you  would  never  do  for  us.  We  are  deal- 
ing with  you  because  we  know  that  you  are  a 
serious  and  intelligent  fellow,  otherwise  .  .  . 
well,  don't  shout  when  you  talk  to  us.  You  must 
calm  yourself  because  you  are  dealing  with  gen- 
tlemen and  not  with  villains.' 

"  'I  know  that ;  but  your  actions  are  not  those 
of  gentlemen.' 

"  'When  you  know  more  then  you  will  not  talk 
so  much,'  said  Cecala  in  a  low  tone. 

"  Cater ina  had  heard  voices  and  was  coming 
downstairs : 

"  'Mr.  Cecala,'  she  said,  'it  is  necessary  that 
I  go  to  New  York  because  I  am  ill  and  fever- 
ish.    Give  me  the  fare  and  I  will  go.' 


THE  PLANT  71 

"  'In  this  weather?'  asked  Cecala. 

"  'Yes.' 

"  'When?' 

"  'To-day.' 

"  'Go  away;  I  have  no  money.' 

"  'You  have  no  money?  Give  me  back  the  five 
dollars  that  I  gave  you  on  the  boat.' 

"  'I  have  only  two  dollars,  which  I  need  very 
much.' 

"  'You  do  not  consider  me  sick?' 

"  'Surely  I  do.  So  much  that  we  have  brought 
a  chicken  to  cook.' 

"  'I  don't  cook  because  I  am  not  well,  and  I 
am  cold,'  promptly  assured  Caterina. 

"  'Madame,'  continued  Cecala  with  mock  cour- 
tesy, 'be  happy  in  the  thought  that  in  a  month 
from  now  we  will  all  be  rich.  All  these  queer 
ideas  will  pass  from  your  mind  then.  Go  ahead 
and  cook.  Here  is  the  stuff.  From  to-morrow 
on  you  will  not  be  alone.  You  will  have  com- 
pany, and  you  will  be  happy.' 

"Cecala  now  turned  abruptly  to  me  saying  in 
a  sinister  tone  of  voice :  'Don  Antonio,  come  up- 
stairs.    I  have  news  for  you.' 

"We  entered  the  large  room  where  the  press 
was  standing.     Cecala  took  a  package  from  his 


72  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

coat  pocket.  'Here  is  the  work  that  we  must 
execute.  We  must  print  counterfeit  money!' 
His  rat-like  eyes  froze  me  to  the  spot.  'Here 
are  the  plates.  Compare  them  with  the  original. 
Without  any  one  knowing  it  we  will  soon  be 
rich.  The  money  that  is  to  be  counterfeited  is 
the  Canadian  five-dollar  note.  Already  I  have 
several  requests,  and  if  we  can  do  perfect  work 
we  will  print  a  million.  I  have  brought  with  me 
one  hundred  thousand  sheets  of  paper  of  four 
qualities  and  different  sizes  so  that  we  could 
choose  the  best  grade  from  the  lot.  The  Cana- 
dian is  not  hard  to  counterfeit  because  there  is 
no  silk  in  it  like  in  the  American  money.  I  am 
sure  that  we  will  succeed.  As  to  buying  the 
inks,  have  no  fear.  In  fact,  I  have  already 
bought  the  inks,  and  will  consult  with  you  in 
choosing  the  right  kind  for  this  work.  No  one 
will  come  here  except  our  own  people.  It  is 
just  as  well  that  Caterina  remain  here.  If  a 
stranger  should  pass  and  see  the  lady  he  would 
imagine  that  there  is  a  family  living  in  the  house 
and  that  would  not  rouse  suspicion.  So  the  lady 
had  better  stay.' 

"I  drew  a  deep  breath.     I  saw  the  trap  closing 
around  me.     As  calmly  as  I  could  I  replied: 


THE  PLANT  73 

"  'This  is  not  my  work.  I  do  not  even  know 
how  to  prepare  the  press.' 

"  'Do  not  begin  to  find  excuses/  barked  Cecala. 
'This  work  must  be  done.  You  will  leave  here 
when  I  tell  you  that  there  is  no  more  need  of 
you.     Not  before.' 

"  'But  this  is  very  difficult  work.  It  is  out  of 
my  line,'  I  ventured. 

"  'No  matter.  If  you  are  a  printer  you  know 
how  to  do  it.  I  will  assist  you.  Look  at  these 
plates.     See  whether  they  are  all  well  made.' 

"I  looked  at  the  plates  and  said  I  could  not 
distinguish  which  was  which.  I  saw  five  pieces 
of  zinc  engraved  on  either  side  of  which  was 
the  'Bank  of  Montreal — Canada.  Five-dollar 
note.'  The  pieces  were  separate,  according  to 
the  colors ;  that  is,  two  large  plates  for  the  green 
side,  and  one  black;  on  the  face  was  a  large  'V 
printed  in  the  center,  and  on  the  light  green  the 
seal  in  a  violet  color.  The  serial  numbers  were 
in  red. 

"I  explained  that  there  were  several  things  re- 
quired before  any  printing  could  be  done. 

"Cecala  now  grabbed  me  by  the  shoulders  and 
fairly  hissed  these  words  at  me : 

"  'Don  Antonio,  you  are  the  person  who  must 


74         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

execute  this  work  under  my  direction  and  the 
guidance  of  some  one  else  that  you  will  know  in 
the  future.  Your  life  would  be  lost  if  you 
should  reveal  our  secret  to  any  one.  We  are 
twenty  men  banded  together  in  this  affair,  and 
we  will  respect  you  as  one  of  us.  Caterina  will 
be  respected  as  well,  and  when  we  are  done  we 
will  give  her  a  sum  of  money  to  go  to  Italy ;  but 
you  must  remain  with  our  society  for  life.  We 
will  provide  for  you  and  better  your  condition, 
and  that  of  your  family,  without  ever  revealing 
to  your  parents  the  secret.  If  you  want  to  write 
to  your  brother  in  New  York  and  your  aunt  be 
careful  to  say  that  you  are  working  for  a  priest 
in  Philadelphia  telling  them  that  the  address  is 
a  village  near  Philadelphia.  When  you  wish  to 
come  to  New  York  I  must  know  about  it.  I 
will  send  your  fare  and  tell  you  where  to  find 
me  so  that  I  can  give  you  the  return  fare.  Cour- 
ageous persons  will  help  you  and  guard  you  in 
case  there  should  be  some  spy  on  the  trail.  No 
one  will  come  to  this  place,  because  the  land 
about  the  house  is  our  property,  and  it  would  be 
hard  for  detectives  to  discover  us  without  some 
one  taking  them  here.     This  place  is  not  sus- 


THE  PLANT  75 

pected.  The  money  printed  here  is  to  be 
changed  in  Canada.  No  one  can  suppose  that 
it  is  printed  in  this  little  village.  Without  offer- 
ing any  excuses  you  must  do  this  work.  Know- 
ing that  you  are  a  serious  man  I  talk  to  you  with 
frankness.  During  the  time  that  you  remain 
here  you  will  lack  nothing  to  eat,  but  you  must 
bear  in  mind  that  we  are  not  big  capitalists  yet, 
and  until  we  make  some  money  you  must  suffer 
a  little.' 

"The  voice  of  the  'Black-Hand'  Society  had 
spoken.  I  was  the  unwilling  tool.  To  refuse 
meant  death.  So  I  resolved  to  play  my  part 
as  well  as  I  could  and  merely  answered  that  I 
would  do  what  they  asked  but  not  to  expect  per- 
fect work  as  I  was  not  a  practical  plate  printer, 
and  had  never  seen  counterfeit  money  before  nor 
printed  it. 

"Caterina  now  called  us  downstairs  to  eat.  At 
table  Cina  told  Caterina  to  abandon  the  idea  of 
returning  to  New  York.  He  told  her  that  she 
was  to  remain  and  cook  for  the  people  that  would 
come,  that  she  would  be  paid  for  her  work. 
Caterina  made  no  answer  to  this. 

"Afterwards  I  went  upstairs  with  Cina  and 


76  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Cecala  and  began  to  set  up  the  press  in  the  large 
room  near  a  window  that  faced  the  road,  Cecala 
remarking  that  there  was  need  of  light. 

"Then,  after  a  sinister  pause,  Cecala  began  to 
tackle  me  again  with  a  speech: 

"  'Don  Antonio,  I  also  have  American  two- 
dollar  plates,  but  they  need  retouching.  Some 
of  the  lines  of  the  black  are  not  precise.  We 
will  print  twenty  thousand  dollars  of  the  Cana- 
dian money  in  five-dollar  notes,  and  then  fifty 
thousand  of  these  two-dollar  United  States 
notes.'  Saying  this  Cecala  showed  me  the 
plates,  which  he  took  from  his  coat  pocket.  He 
made  me  examine  them  and  I  observed  that  they 
were  of  check  letter  A,  plate  number  1111.  He 
wrapped  them  up  in  a  cloth  and  put  them  in 
his  coat  pocket,  saying  that  he  would  return 
them  when  he  brought  the  inks.  The  plates  for 
the  two-dollar  bills  were  in  three  pieces;  that  is, 
the  green  side,  the  face  or  black  side,  and  the 
seal  and  counter  of  dark  blue. 

"That  night  Cina  and  Cecala  slept  in  the  house. 
In  the  morning  they  went  off  at  a  very  early 
hour  leaving  me  alone  and  promising  to  return 
in  a  few  days.  On  the  morning  of  December 
20th,  1908,  Cecala  and  Giglio  returned  in  com- 


THE  PLANT  77 

pany  with  another  man,  a  Sicilian,  and  dressed 
like  one.  The  stranger  took  from  a  bag  the 
wood  blocks  that  were  needed  for  the  plates 
which  Cecala  had  had  retouched.  The  stranger 
was  presented  to  me  as  Uncle  Vincent.  Cecala 
then  told  Caterina  to  prepare  a  meal  as  Uncle 
had  traveled  all  night  and  was  cold  and  hungry. 
"We  went  upstairs  to  mount  the  plates  on  the 
blocks.  Cecala  put  them  in  the  chase,  and,  like 
an  experienced  man,  made  the  press  ready  for 
the  green  side  of  the  counterfeit  money.  Cecala 
also  prepared  the  green  ink  and  then  made  me 
print  a  proof  to  see  whether  the  work  was  cor- 
rect. We  worked  that  day  in  making  proofs  be- 
cause we  could  not  get  the  right  shade  of  green. 
Finally,  we  mixed  in  a  little  yellow  and  hit  the 
right  shade  of  green  for  the  Canadian  note.  It 
was  necessary,  however,  to  let  the  ink  dry  in 
order  to  see  whether  the  shade  was  exactly  right. 
That  day  the  whole  conversation  was  of  getting 
rich.  Millions  were  to  come  to  each  of  us. 
They  went  so  far  as  to  figure  out  just  what 
would  be  the  share  of  each  at  the  end  of  the 
month,  selling  the  stuff  at  35  cents  on  the  dollar. 
All  were  as  happy  as  lords.  All  except  Caterina 
and  I. 


78         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"At  about  4  P.  M.  Cecala  took  four  of  the 
five-dollar  note  proofs,  those  which  were  most 
like  the  genuine,  and  left  for  New  York  together 
with  Cina  saying  that  he  had  to  show  them  to 
persons  more  competent.  This  left  Giglio  and 
Uncle  Vincent  with  me. 

"On  December  23,  Cina  came  to  the  house 
bringing  a  wagon  load  of  coal  and  after  unload- 
ing it  told  me  that  he  received  a  letter  from  New 
York  calling  for  other  proofs  but  darker  in 
shade.  I  mixed  up  some  more  ink,  and  after 
running  off  the  proofs  I  handed  them  to  Cina, 
who  took  them  away  with  him.  After  about 
eight  days  I  had  received  no  notice  of  printing 
or  of  the  proofs  when  on  January  2, 1909,  Cecala 
and  Cina  suddenly  returned  and  ordered  that  the 
work  proceed.  The  notes  were  to  be  printed  in 
the  last  shade  of  ink  that  Cecala  had  prepared. 
No  more  proofs  were  to  be  sent  to  New  York, 
Cecala  said,  because  it  was  very  dangerous. 
One  of  the  gang  might  be  picked  up  and  the 
notes  found  on  him.  They  told  me  to  go  by  the 
genuine  note  for  shade  and  that  when  I  struck 
off  a  proof  to  show  it  to  Uncle  Vincent,  who 
was  very  proficient. 

"They  told  me  to  hurry  and  to  work  fast. 


THE  PLANT  79 

They  needed  the  two-dollar  notes  badly  because 
Cecala  had  received  an  order  from  a  Brooklyn 
banker  for  $50,000  counterfeit  money.  After 
they  were  through  talking  and  gossiping  I  turned 
to  Cecala  and  said : 

"  'Mr.  Cecala,  on  the  fifth  instant  I  must  go 
to  New  York  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  Grand 
Court  of  the  Foresters  of  America,  for  the  an- 
nual installation  of  officers  takes  place  on  that 
night.  I  must  necessarily  attend  because  I  am 
an  officer  and  you  will,  of  course,  provide  my; 
fare.' 

"  'What  do  you  care  for  the  society?'  sneered 
Cecala.  'We  are  in  so  much  need  of  you,  and 
you  are  finding  new  excuses.  Leave  these  things 
go  and  work.' 

"  'I  must  attend.' 

"  'Well,  I  will  send  your  fare  from  New  York. 
In  case  I  do  not  come  back,  see  me  at  92  East 
Fourth  Street,  fourth  floor.' 

"While  this  conversation  was  taking  place 
Giglio  and  Uncle  Vincent  had  picked  out  the 
paper  stock  of  which  four  thousand  sheets  were 
counted  out.  Cecala,  assisted  by  me,  made  the 
press  ready.  Experiments  were  made  to  see  if 
the  impression  was  right.    After  Cecala  had  got 


80         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

everything  in  readiness  he  told  Uncle  Vincent  to 
ink  the  press  from  time  to  time  as  there  was  no 
fountain  on  it.  I  fed  the  press  by  putting  the 
sheets  in  and  taking  them  out  as  they  were 
printed.  Giglio  would  take  the  printed  sheets 
and  spread  them  out  in  the  garret  to  dry. 

"At  2  P.  M.,  on  January  4th,  1909,  the  green 
impressions  were  completed  on  the  Canadian 
notes.  Not  seeing  any  one  appear  with  the  fare 
to  New  York  I  gave  my  watch  to  Giglio  and 
begged  him  to  go  to  his  brother-in-law  and  sell 
it.  Returning  the  next  morning  Giglio  handed 
me  one  dollar  and  a  half,  and  said  that  I  was 
to  go  on  the  2  P.  M.  train.  His  brother-in-law, 
Cina,  would  come  with  the  horse  and  carriage 
and  accompany  me  to  the  station. 

"About  noon  Cina  came.  Caterina  said  she  did 
not  want  to  be  left  alone  with  two  strange  men, 
and  asked  to  be  taken  to  Cina's  family  until  I 
returned.  This  was  agreed  to  and  Cina  left  her 
at  his  house  and  took  me  to  the  Poughkeepsie 
station.  I  arrived  in  New  York  at  5  P.  M.  and 
met  Cecala  at  the  station;  he  feigned  surprise  at 
seeing  me.  He  excused  himself  for  not  sending 
me  the  fare  and  explained  that  he  had  no  money. 

"Cecala  conducted  me  to  Thirty-ninth  Street 


THE  PLANT  81 

and  First  Avenue  where  he  introduced  me  to  a 
certain  Giovanni  Pecoraro,  a  wine  merchant. 
He  invited  me  to  eat  some  salame  cheese  and 
fruit.  We  drank  some  wine,  and  then  Pecoraro 
told  me  to  return  to  this  store  and  get  two  bot- 
tles of  liquor,  which  I  was  to  take  to  Highland 
on  my  way  back  to  the  plant. 

"Coming  out  of  the  store,  Cecala  led  me  to  a 
house  in  the  same  street  near  Avenue  A  where 
there  were  six  men  in  a  room  playing  cards. 
Cecala  called  one  of  them  aside — a  young  man 
about  thirty,  and  requested  him  to  give  five 
dollars  to  me.  This  young  man,  whom  Cecala 
called  Salvatore,  responded  readily  and  gave  me 
the  money  as  I  was  leaving.  Cecala  now  ac- 
companied me  to  the  meeting  room  of  the  For- 
esters of  America.  He  told  me  that  at  11 
P.  M.  he  would  call  for  me  and  accompany  me 
to  the  station,  and  that  I  was  not  to  stop  over 
night  nor  see  any  of  my  relatives. 

"After  the  meeting  I  found  Cecala  and  Pe- 
coraro waiting  outside  for  me.  They  made  me 
get  on  a  car  and  go  to  Pecoraro's  store,  where 
I  was  given  three  bottles  of  liquor  and  some 
salame  wrapped  in  one  package.  They  accom- 
panied me  to  Hoboken  where,  at  3  A.  M.  on 


82         LTHE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

January  6,  1909,  I  boarded  the  train  for  High- 
land. Arriving  there,  I  found  Cina's  brother, 
Peppino,  waiting  with  a  carriage.  I  got  into  the 
vehicle  and  he  brought  me  to  the  stone  house, 
that  is,  the  counterfeiting  plant.  The  reader  will 
observe  that  I  was  shadowed  by  the  'Black 
Handers*  every  step  of  the  way.  It  would  have 
been  impossible  for  me  to  make  a  break-away 
without  courting  death.  During  the  month  of 
January,  1909,  the  work  of  counterfeiting  at  the 
farmhouse  proceeded  without  interruption. 
From  time  to  time  Cina  would  show  up  with  po- 
tatoes and  flour.  He  would  examine  the  work, 
help  for  an  hour  or  so  spreading  the  money  on 
the  floor  to  dry,  and  then  return  to  his  farm." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   COW   THAT   CAUSED   A  DOUBLE   MURDER 

"One  day  while  we  were  at  work  on  the  coun- 
terfeit money,  Uncle  Vincent  told  me  that  he  had 
been  a  cattle  raiser  in  his  home  town.  He  was 
out  on  a  farm  where  he  saw  a  yoke  of  oxen, 
which  he  wanted  to  purchase.  One  of  the  men 
who  owned  the  oxen,  while  arguing  about  the 
price,  said  something  offensive  to  Uncle.  With- 
out saying  a  word  Uncle  aimed  his  rifle  and  shot 
the  man  in  the  chest,  killing  him  instantly.  The 
other  man  ran  away.  He  was  overtaken  by  a 
rifle  shot  and  knocked  dead  about  fifty  paces 
away  from  the  first  man. 

"With  a  double  murder  on  his  conscience  Un- 
cle Vincent  cast  about  for  a  getaway.  As  he  was 
short  of  money  he  searched  the  first  man  that 
he  had  murdered  and  took  from  him  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  lire.  Returning  to  town  Uncle 
wrote  a  long  letter  to  his  family  notifying  them 

83 


84         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

of  what  happened  and  took  a  train  for  Palermo. 
There  he  contracted  with  a  sail-boat  man  who 
landed  him  at  Tunis  in  Africa.  There  he  found 
means  to  get  his  fare  and  went  to  Tokio,  Japan. 
In  Tokio  he  could  not  find  work,  was  forced  to 
steal  in  order  to  live,  and  when  he  had  accumu- 
lated some  money  he  went  to  Liverpool.  He 
lived  in  Liverpool  about  a  year  where  he  existed 
by  theft  the  same  as  in  Japan.  In  March,  1902, 
he  left  Liverpool  for  New  Orleans.  When  in 
America,  he  said,  he  did  not  lose  heart  because 
he  knew  many  friends,  and  they  had  to  help  him, 
he  said.  And  he  uttered  these  words  with  the 
saturnine  confidence  of  the  established  'Black 
Hander.' " 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE   SOCIETY 


"  'How  could  you  manage  in  so  many  different 
places  without  knowing  the  language?'  I  in- 
quired, not  quite  knowing  the  ramifications  of 
the  Mafia. 

"  'I  found  Italians  everywhere,  and  would  get 
directions  from  them  until  I  found  some  friends.' 
He  spoke  the  last  work  significantly. 

"  'Did  you  understand  English  then?' 

"  'Did  not  even  dream  of  it.' 

"  'Have  you  worked  while  you  have  been  in 
America?' 

"  'Never,'  grinned  Uncle  Vincent.  'Neither 
do  I  expect  to  work.  If  I  knew  the  man  who 
invented  work,  and  met  him,  I  would  kill  him.' 

"  'What  do  you  do  to  live?' 

"  'You  are  too  young  to  know  certain  things,* 
he  explained  with  a  veiled  glance.  'When  you 
have  become  well  interested  in  the  affairs  of  our 

85 


86         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

society  you  will  know  how  to  live  without  work.' 

"  'Then  you  belong  to  some  society  which  gives 
you  money?'  I  inquired,  feigning  stupidity. 

"  'Yes,  but  not  like  your  societies.  When  you 
leave  your  societies  and  join  ours  you  will  feel 
better.' 

"  'And  what  is  the  price  of  initiation?' 

"  'Nothing.' 

*  'How  will  I  be  admitted  then?' 

"  'We  must  try  you  with  a  courageous  deed  re- 
quiring secrecy.' 

"  'And  what  is  this  society  of  yours  called?'  I 
asked. 

"  'It  has  no  name.' 

"  'Is  it  a  mutual  aid  society?' 

"  'No.' 

"  'Where  are  its  headquarters?' 

"  'In  all  parts  of  the  world.' 

"  'In  Italy?' 

"  'Yes,  in  Italy/ 

"  'Then  it  must  be  the  Masons?' 

"  'What,  the  Masons?  Pooh-pooh!  my  friend. 
Ours  is  a  society  that  never  ends  and  is  bigger 
than  the  Masons.' 

"  'And  when  will  you  allow  me  to  enter?' 

"  'I  must  school  you  first,'  he  grumbled,  eyeing 


THE  SOCIETY  87 

me  suspiciously.  'And  when  you  become  known 
to  the  heads,  and  are  respected,  then  we  will 
christen  you.' 

"  'You  will  christen  me?'  I  exclaimed. 

"  'Yes/ 

"  'How  is  that  ?  I  have  already  been  baptized 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  and  now  you 
would  baptize  me  again?' 

"  'Certainly!'  he  grinned.  'But  it  is  not  a 
matter  of  religion.  You  are  christened  into  the 
society.  We  give  you  a  title  that  you  will  bear 
in  secret,  a  title  that  will  make  you  obeyed  and 
respected  in  all  parts  of  the  world.' 

"  'I  am  curious  to  attend  a  meeting  of  your 
society.' 

"  'In  time  you  will  attend;  but  first,  I  would 
have  to  ask  the  superiors.' 

"At  this  moment  I  was  called  by  Caterina  and 
the  discussion  ended.  I  had  absorbed  enough  to 
surmise  about  the  vast,  hidden  power  of  the 
'Black-Hand'  menace  reaching  as  it  does  with 
arms  steeped  in  gore  all  around  the  globe." 


CHAPTER  X 

MEETING  THE  ARCH-BANDIT 

"At  the  end  of  January  the  Canadian  five- 
dollar  notes  were  completed  and  cut  the  size 
of  the  genuine.  After  being  counted  they 
amounted  to  seventeen  thousand  five  hundred 
and  forty  dollars.  They  were  put  in  an  empty 
macaroni  box  and  was  nailed  up  and  put  away 
for  Cecala,  who  was  to  have  them  exchanged 
for  good  money  to  various  people  whom  he  knew. 

"On  February  1st,  1909,  not  having  received 
any  word  from  New  York,  Giglio  left  and  went 
to  Cina's  house  to  inquire  the  cause  of  the  long 
silence.  Next  day  Giglio  returned,  accompanied 
by  Cecala  and  Cina,  and  fixed  the  press  to  print 
the  two-dollar  notes,  check  letter  A,  and  plate 
number  1111.  Having  prepared  the  press 
Cecala  and  I  fixed  some  green  ink,  but  after  sev- 
eral attempts  to  imitate  the  genuine  Cecala  de- 

88 


MEETING  THE  ARCH-BANDIT      89 

cided  we  could  not  do  it.  That  night  Cecala 
gave  me  five  dollars  and  told  me  that  on  Feb- 
ruary 4  I  was  to  go  to  New  York.  I  was  to 
go  to  his  house  and  there  talk  with  a  party  who 
was  capable  of  preparing  the  ink.  Then  ad- 
monishing me  not  to  leave  until  Cina  called  for 
me  with  a  carriage,  Cecala  left  with  Cina  and 
Giglio. 

"On  February  4,  about  eight  in  the  morning, 
Cina  came  to  the  stone  house  with  Bernardo,  the 
former  to  accompany  me  to  the  station  and  the 
latter  to  remain  with  Uncle  Vincent  and  Ca- 
terina.  I  arrived  in  New  York  at  noontime  and 
went  directly  to  Cecala's  home  at  No.  92  East 
Fourth  Street,  where  I  found  his  wife  who  gave 
me  a  piece  of  paper  after  making  sure  of  my 
identity. 

'  'My  husband  is  waiting  at  the  address  writ- 
ten on  the  piece  of  paper,'  she  said.  'Ask  for 
him  in  the  bank  on  the  ground  floor.' 

"The  piece  of  paper  contained  this  address: 
'630  East  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-Eighth 
Street.' 

"Arriving  at  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-Eighth 
Street  I  found  the  house  I  was  seeking  and 
asked  for  Cecala.     A  well-dressed  man  told  me 


90         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

that  Cecala  would  not  return  until  two  o'clock. 
It  was  then  half  after  one  and  the  man  told  me 
to  return  in  a  half  hour.  In  the  meantime  I 
walked  over  toward  the  L  station  thinking  I 
might  meet  Cecala.  I  returned  to  the  address 
written  on  the  paper  after  walking  around  for 
about  forty  minutes  without  seeing  Cecala.  I 
was  told  to  take  a  seat  and  the  well-dressed  man 
telephoned  to  Cecala,  who  arrived  in  a  few  min- 
utes and  invited  me  upstairs  with  him.  I  went 
up  to  a  room  on  the  second  floor  and  there  met 
two  men. 

"Cecala  introduced  me  to  one  of  the  men  who 
was  tall,  wrapped  up  in  a  shawl  of  brown  color, 
of  oval  face  and  high  forehead.  He  had  dark 
eyes,  an  aquiline  nose,  dark  hair,  and  dark  mus- 
tache. He  appeared  to  be  about  forty  years 
old.  As  he  was  walking  about  the  room  I  no- 
ticed particularly  that  this  man  had  one  arm 
outside  the  shawl  and  the  other  hidden  beneath 
the  wrap.  Could  he  be  hiding  a  weapon?  The 
other  man  remained  seated  in  a  chair.  He  was 
about  thirty  or  thirty-five  years  old,  of  medium 
build  with  dark  curly  hair,  sallow  complexion. 
His  nose  was  a  little  flattened,  he  had  a  brown 
mustache,  brown  eyes,  and  wore  a  cap  'A  la 


MEETING  THE  ARCH-BANDIT     91 

Sicilian.'  Cecala  introduced  the  first  man  as 
Mr.  Morello  and  the  second  as  'Michele,  the 
Calabrian.' 

"Morello  bade  me  make  myself  comfortable. 
Then  he  gave  me  a  piercing  glance  and  said 
slowly: 

"  'How  is  it,  professor,  that  you  cannot  suc- 
ceed in  reaching  a  color  like  the  green  on  the 
two-dollar  notes?' 

"  'I  told  Mr.  Cecala  from  the  beginning  that 
this  was  not  in  my  line  of  work,'  I  replied. 

"  'How  is  it  that  a  printer  like  you  don't  know 
how  to  mix  inks?' 

"  'I  am  experienced  in  composing  and  printing 
books,  not  in  printing  money.' 

"'Ah!  Ah!  Ah!  Ah!'  ejaculated  the  bandit 
comprehendingly.  'So,  if  you  do  not  know  how 
to  mix  the  ink  the  bills  cannot  be  printed?' 

"  'Certainly  not.' 

"  'Well,  we  will  find  a  man  who  knows  how  to 
prepare  the  inks,  and  I  advise  you  to  do  the 
printing  carefully  so  that  the  money  can  be 
easily  exchanged.  Save  the  Canadian  notes  be- 
cause they  are  expensive  to  exchange.  And  just 
now  we  are  without  money  and  cannot  incur  ex- 
tra expenses.' 


02  ,THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"  'I  would  rather  leave  this  work  and  return 
to  New  York,'  I  ventured. 

"  'You  are  crazy,'  yelled  Cecala,  who  was  still 
present.  'Now  that  we  are  at  it  we  must  com- 
plete it.  If  things  go  right,  we  will  all  be  rich; 
but  don't  think  of  betraying  us  because  your  life 
would  be  lost  if  you  did.  You  must  never  tell 
any  one  what  you  are  doing  at  the  peril  of  losing 
your  life.  If  you  get  into  danger  because  of 
the  secret  we  will  save  you.' 

"Morello  eyed  me  sarcastically.  He  shot  a 
menacing  side-glance  at  me  and  uttered  this 
Warning  in  a  low  voice:  'Suppose  you  are  ar- 
rested. Well,  you  must  never  tell  that  you  know 
us,  because  we,  remaining  on  the  outside,  can 
help  you  at  the  cost  of  losing  our  property.  I 
advise  you  to  be  faithful  to  us.  Remember,  you 
are  dealing  with  gentlemen.' 

"  'I  understand  that,'  I  said,  feigning  respect, 
'but  I  am  in  great  danger  alone  in  the  woods 
with  the  woman,  and  if  I  am  taken  by  surprise 
I  am  ruined.' 

"  'How?  Are  you  alone?  Where  is  Uncle 
Vincent?     Is  he  not  there?' 

"  'Yes.' 

"  'He  alone  is  enough  to  keep  any  one  away 


MEETING  THE  ARCH-BANDIT      93 

from  the  house.  Soon  there  will  be  other  peo- 
ple to  help  you,  and  keep  you  company,  and 
bring  arms  and  ammunition.  The  first  stranger 
that  is  suspected  will  be  killed  and  buried  in 
the  woods.' 

"Morello  spoke  this  with  a  saturnine  air  of  un- 
concern as  if  he  had  been  discussing  a  smoke  or 
a  glass  of  wine.  To  this  man  murder  was  merely 
an  incident  to  his  trade. 

"The  arch-bandit  now  turned  to  Cecala,  say- 
ing: 

"  'It  would  be  well  to  ask  Milone  (Antonio 
B.),  and  see  if  he  is  able  to  make  the  green  tint.' 
Milone  is  the  man  who  made  the  plates. 

"  'Who  cares  to  go  to  Two  Hundred  and 
Thirty-Ninth  Street,  in  the  Bronx,  at  this  hour?' 
replied  Cecala  in  disgusted  protest.  'It  can  be 
done  to-morrow.' 

"  'No.  It  is  better  that  we  send  Nick  (Syl- 
vester) to-night,'  said  Morello  with  an  air  of 
finality  that  booked  no  dispute. 

"  'Do  what  you  think,  Piddu.1  Suppose  we 
arrange  to  send  Don  Antonio?' 

"  'Do  not  let  him  leave  us,  though.' 

i  Piddu  is  the  Sicilian  diminutive  for  Giuseppe,  the  Christian 
name  of  Morello. 


94  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"  'I  know,  and  if  he  has  to  leave,  I  will  accom- 
pany him,'  concluded  Cecala  almost  in  a  whis- 
per. 

"Cecala  now  invited  me  out  with  him,  asked 
me  where  did  I  want  to  sleep,  and  when  I  told 
him  at  my  aunt's,  he  offered  to  accompany  me 
there. 

"As  we  were  about  to  leave  the  place  Morello 
turned  to  Cecala  and  I  overheard  him  say: 

"  'Nino,  I  wish  you  would  not  have  the  profes- 
sor come  here  any  more.  You  know  there  are 
detectives  following  me  and  as  soon  as  they  see 
a  suspicious  face  they  arrest  him.  The  other 
night,  as  you  know,  they  arrested  father  and  son 
while  they  were  going  down  the  stairs.' 

"  'I  know  it,'  replied  Cecala,  'but  what  are 
your  suspicions  about  Don  Antonio?' 

"  'Well — er — sometimes  you  can't  tell.' 

"The  'Black-Hand'  chief  dropped  into  a  brief 
reverie.  Maybe  he  had  a  vague  vision  of  the 
fate  that  was  to  befall  him.  The  other  man 
present,  Michele,  the  Calabrian,  had  not  uttered 
a  single  word  during  the  entire  conversation. 

"After  we  had  left  the  house  Cecala  turned  to 
me  and  said  with  bated  breath: 

"  'The  man  you  saw  with  one  hand  is  Giuseppe 


MEETING  THE  ARCH-BANDIT     95 

Morello,  the  same  who  was  implicated  in  the 
barrel  murder.' 

"I  did  not  reply  because  I  did  not  know  of 
Morello;  neither  did  I  know  of  the  barrel  mur- 
der. I  only  thought  that  he  really  had  one 
arm  because  I  did  not  see  the  other.  From  time 
to  time  Morello  had  been  snuffing  tobacco. 

u'l  want  you  to  know  all  my  friends  so  that 
you  can  have  an  idea  with  whom  you  are  deal- 
ing, and  don't  think  they  are  poor,  but  all  land- 
lords,' now  confided  Cecala.  'Morello  is  Presi- 
dent of  the  Corleone  Society  (Ignatz  Florio) 
and  has  in  his  power  four  buildings  amounting 
to  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  other 
man  you  met  the  last  time,  Pecoraro,  is  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  large  wine  deposit,  and  he  has  more 
property.  Giglio  and  Cina  are  owners  of  the 
estates  that  you  saw.  I  am  poor  because  I  did 
not  know  how  to  profit.  My  profession  is  that 
of  barber.  I  had  a  splendid  shop,  but  the  busi- 
ness was  poor  and  I  sold  it.  Two  weeks  after 
I  sold  the  barber  shop  I  got  in  with  Morello  and 
opened  a  grocery  store  in  Mott  Street.  But 
after  two  years  I  was  forced  into  bankruptcy 
because  all  the  goods  were  sold  on  credit  and  I 
was  not  paid.     Then  I  opened  up  two  gambling 


96         THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

houses,  one  in  Mott  Street  and  the  other  in  Eliza- 
beth Street.  I  was  getting  along  well  while  I 
fed  the  police.  When  I  did  not  want  to  give 
them  any  more  they  began  to  go  against  me  and 
forced  me  to  close  up.' 

"At  the  moment  I  could  not  understand  why 
it  should  have  been  necessary  to  'feed'  the  po- 
lice, as  he  said,  not  being  acquainted  with  the 
methods  here." 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  BLACK-HANDER's  POLICE  PROTECTION 

"  'Certainly,'  Cecala  said.  'In  America 
everything  is  prohibited;  but  if  you  pay  the  po- 
lice or  detectives  they  will  leave  you  in  peace. 
In  this  land  money  counts,  so  that  if  you  kill  any 
one  and  have  money  you  will  get  out  of  it.  Mo- 
rello  knows  how  much  money  he  has  given  to 
detectives  to  get  out  free  out  of  three  or  four 
cases  in  which  he  was  implicated.  Even  now 
he  is  supposed  to  be  watched  by  the  police  who 
do  not  care  to  watch  him  because  they  know  that 
they  will  receive  their  bit.  The  government  al- 
ways holds  him  under  suspicion  as  the  head  of 
the  Black-Handers.  When  anything  happens 
Morello  is  always  in  danger  of  arrest,  but  the 
same  policeman  he  feeds  tips  him  off  and  so  Mo- 
rello goes  into  hiding.  The  police  then  feign  to 
raid  his  place,  but,  of  course,  the  man  wanted  is 
never  there.    Now  then,  my  dear  Don  Antonio, 

97 


98  THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

that's  the  way  things  are  done  in  this  country. 
During  the  last  three  years  I  am  getting  along 
well  in  my  line :  that  is,  I  am  the  head  of  a  band 
of  incendiaries  and  earn  a  little  money  now  and 
then.' 

"Cecala  was  disclosing  to  me  a  phase  of  the 
under-world  life  of  crime  and  horror  of  which  I 
knew  nothing  at  the  time. 

"  'And  what  do  you  do  to  earn  this  money? 
Do  you  take  the  objects  that  you  find  in  the 
burned  houses?'  I  inquired. 

"  'No,'  sneered  Cecala  with  contempt.  'I  set 
fire  to  the  houses  to  defraud  the  insurance  com- 
panies !' 

"He  said  this  with  the  pride  of  a  professional 
expert. 

'  'And  how  do  you  do  it?'  I  inquired,  curious 
to  learn  his  ways. 

"  'Well,  you  own  a  store  and  have  insured  it 
against  fire.  You  have  paid  up  the  insurance 
and  do  not  wish  to  pay  any  more,  but  you  want 
to  realize  on  the  money  already  paid  in.  You 
will  send  for  me  to  set  a  fire.  In  my  manner  I 
will  develop  a  fire  in  an  instant.  When  the  in- 
surance company  pays  you  the  money  you  pay 
me  a  percentage.' 


POLICE  PROTECTION  99 

"  'Then  perhaps  you  were  the  one  who  set  the 
big  fire  in  Mulberry  Street  where  so  many  poor 
people  were  burned?' 

"  'No !'  came  the  quick  response.  'I  do  not 
set  fire  to  make  accidents  happen.  That  fire 
was  engineered  by  a  Neapolitan  band  that  were 
in  accord  with  the  proprietor  of  the  dry  goods 
store  underneath.  They  did  not  work  it  right 
because  they  started  the  fire  from  the  side  of  the 
store  and  afterwards  put  explosives  on  the  stairs 
so  that  no  trace  would  be  left.  If  I  had  had 
that  job  there  would  have  been  no  trace  to  tell 
the  story,  and  the  damage  would  have  been  done 
from  the  store  door.  There  would  not  have  been 
so  many  accidents  and  the  families  would  have 
had  time  to  run  into  the  yard.' 

"  'How  can  you  guarantee  all  this  ?  And  what 
explosive  matter  do  you  use  to  start  a  fire?'  I 
inquired. 

"  'Glycerine,'  mumbled  the  bandit.  'I  mix  it 
with  other  matters.  It  does  not  smell  and  leaves 
no  trace  of  the  fire.' 

"  'And  do  you  go  alone  on  these  jobs?' 

"  'No.  You  always  need  three  or  four  men.  I 
direct  them  and  they  bring  the  material.  I  pay 
each  man  five  dollars  a  night.' 


100       tTHE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"  'And  these  helpers,  do  they  make  much 
money?' 

"  'Quite  some — now  and  then.  They  risk  their 
hides.  But  it  is  not  steady  work,  you  know; 
only  on  occasions.' 

"The  train  arrived  at  the  station  and  Cecala 
indicated  a  seat  separate  from  him  so  as  not  to 
invite  suspicion.  At  Houston  Street  he  sig- 
nalled for  me  to  get  off,  and  when  in  the  street 
he  asked  me  where  my  aunt  lived.  When  I  told 
him  in  Bleecker  Street  he  said:  'I  will  accom- 
pany you.  Let  us  go  to  a  drug  store  near  by 
first.     I  must  ask  something.' 

"We  went  to  Spring  Street  and  entered  a  drug 
store  with  a  sign  over  the  door  spelling  the  name 
of  'Antonio  Mocito.'  Cecala  asked  a  boy  in 
the  store  where  the  druggist  might  be  and  the 
boy  replied  that  he  was  out.  Cecala  told  the 
boy  to  inform  the  druggist  that  he,  Cecala,  had 
been  there  and  to  prepare  'that  matter.' 

"  'I  put  this  druggist  right !'  boasted  Cecala  in 
a  low  voice.  'He  had  a  drug  store  and  did  a 
little  business.  I  suggested  to  him  that  he  in- 
sure the  store  against  fire.  After  he  had  paid 
up  for  a  little  while,  I  put  fire  to  it  and  the  com- 
pany paid  him  three  thousand  dollars  with  which 


POLICE  PROTECTION  101 

he  put  up  this  new  store.  So  you  see,  he  was 
saved !' 

"On  the  way  to  my  aunt's  house  Cecala  made 
many  suggestions  to  me  warning  me  that  I  was 
to  tell  my  aunt  nothing.  He  told  me  to  meet 
him  at  his  home  at  six  o'clock  the  next  morning. 
This  was  at  6  P.  M. 

"I  leave  it  to  the  reader's  imagination  to  pic- 
ture the  condition  of  mind  I  was  in  after  learn- 
ing of  the  kind  of  'gentlemen'  I  was  obliged 
to  deal  with.  I  had  been  caught  in  a  trap  set 
by  a  band  of  incendiaries  and  Black-Handers 
enjoying  police  protection.  What  good  would 
it  have  done  me  to  go  to  the  police  about  it? 
What  could  anybody  in  my  position  do  under  the 
circumstances?  I  thought  it  would  be  better  to 
keep  silent  and  save  my  life  until  I  had  occasion 
to  denounce  the  gang.  I  was  secretly  awaiting 
this  opportunity  without  their  knowledge. 
Then,  again,  how  could  I  proceed  against  them 
without  witnesses  ? 

"The  thought  that  afflicted  me  with  most  con- 
cern was  the  fate  of  the  lady.  I  realized  that 
her  consent  to  my  desire  had  caused  her  to  be 
mixed  up  with  bad  people.  I  also  realized  that 
if  we  were  discovered  by  the  police,  Caterina  and 


102        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

I  would  be  the  only  ones  to  suffer  because  we 
were  alone  and  without  any  help  from  any  one 
and  penniless. 

"I  summoned  all  the  courage  I  could  muster. 
I  always  appeared  to  be  contented  with  the  or- 
ders that  were  given  me,  and  I  executed  them 
without  finding  the  least  objection. 

"I  was  daily  afflicted  by  the  life  I  was  leading, 
and  was  continually  disturbed  in  my  mind  be- 
cause I  saw  that  I  had  not  one  penny,  and  when 
I  asked  for  money  I  was  bluntly  refused.  It 
also  worried  me  to  think  that  my  family  believed 
I  was  working  and  making  money  without  send- 
ing any  home.  Time  and  again  I  planned  to 
run  away,  but  how?  Where  would  I  go?  I 
would  have  to  abandon  all  my  things  and  be 
left  out  in  the  street.  And  who  would  help  me? 
A  penniless  stranger. 

"On  the  morning  of  February  5,  1909,  it  was 
snowing  and  very  cold  when  I  went  to  the  home 
of  Cecala  at  the  appointed  hour.  He  invited  me 
to  sit  down  and  his  wife  served  me  with  coffee. 
I  saw  his  five  children,  quite  sympathetic  chil- 
dren, three  girls  and  two  boys.  In  looking  at 
them  I  was  seized  by  remorse  to  think  that  these 


POLICE  PROTECTION  103 

innocent  children  as  the  offspring  of  a  criminal 
would  probably  be  converted  into  criminals  also 
in  time.  Cecala  told  me  brusquely  that  we 
would  have  to  leave  on  the  ten  o'clock  train  in 
spite  of  the  snow. 

"  'When  we  arrive  at  Highland  there  will  be 
no  one  about  the  station,  and  we  will  arouse  no 
suspicion,'  explained  Cecala. 

"  'Have  you  found  the  man  to  prepare  the 
ink?'  I  asked. 

"  *  Yes.  He  is  coming  with  us.  Here  is  a  dol- 
lar. Go  to  your  aunt  and  meet  us  at  the  Grand 
Central  Station.  I  am  going  to  Don  Piddu's 
(Morello's)  to  get  other  inks  that  were  bought 
last  night.  But  now  that  I  think  about  it,  meet 
me  at  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  and  you  will  buy 
some  green  ink,  because  they  would  not  sell  it  to 
me.  Say  you  are  a  printer  and  refer  them  to  the 
shop  where  you  were  working.' 

"  'And  if  they  object,  what  shall  I  reply?' 

"  'I  will  understand.' 

"  'And  what  kind  of  ink  is  it  necessary  to  buy?' 

"  'The  kind  we  need  are  marked  in  the  cata- 
logue.' 

"  'And  who  has  marked  them?' 


104        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"  CA  professor  who  has  done  other  work  for  me 
and  is  very  practical  at  his  work.  If  necessary, 
he  will  come  and  work  together  with  you/ 

"Cecala  took  me  to  a  store  on  Rose  Street 
where  he  employed  sign  language  to  explain  the 
kind  of  ink  he  wanted.  A  young  lady  asked 
questions  in  English  which  I  could  not  answer. 
Cecala  then  interrupted  and  tried  to  act  as  inter- 
preter. I  was  confused  for  a  moment.  Then  I 
took  out  a  bill  head  with  my  name  on  it  which  I 
had  used  while  I  acted  as  solicitor  for  work  in  an 
Italian  printing  shop  in  Mott  Street.  The 
young  lady  read  it,  and  after  about  twenty  min- 
utes she  returned,  giving  me  three  cans  of  ink 
and  the  bill,  which  Cecala  paid. 

"Cecala  now  directed  me  to  go  to  my  aunt's 
place  before  meeting  him  at  the  Grand  Central 
Station  in  time  for  the  ten  o'clock  train.  There 
I  met  the  man  who  was  to  assist  me  in  printing 
the  counterfeit  bills.  The  reader  may  now  ap- 
preciate the  sagacity  of  Cecala  in  leaving  me 
after  coming  out  of  the  ink  store.  It  gave  him 
the  advantage  to  meet  the  mysterious  man  who 
was  to  help  in  the  mixing  of  the  inks,  and  it  also 
gave  him  a  chance  to  throw  anybody  off  the  trail 
if  there  were  detectives  following. 


POLICE  PROTECTION  105 

"At  the  Grand  Central  Station  we  met  the 
man  with  the  camera.  Cecala  bought  three  tick- 
ets for  Poughkeepsie.  Arriving  there  we  found 
Cina  waiting  for  us  with  a  closed  carriage.  He 
drove  to  another  station  and  then  to  a  ferry 
where  we  went  across  the  river  to  Highland  and 
from  there  to  the  clandestine  factory.  Supper 
was  waiting  for  us  there,  and  we  rested  till  the 
next  morning  to  start  work.  During  the  eve- 
ning, Cecala,  Cina,  Uncle  Vincent  and  the  other 
man  played  cards  while  Bernardo  and  I  chopped 
wood  for  the  stove. 

"On  the  morning  of  February  6,  1909,  we  got 
the  press  ready.  The  man  whose  name  I  had  not 
yet  been  given  mixed  the  ink.  After  taking 
some  proofs  the  right  shade  of  green  was  devel- 
oped. The  unnamed  man  then  explained  to  me 
that  by  mixing  black  and  yellow  I  would  obtain 
an  olive  green,  and  by  mixing  this  color  with  the 
clear  green  in  the  cans  which  were  brought  up 
from  New  York,  the  right  shade  of  green,  just 
like  the  genuine  money  color,  would  be  obtained. 
He  explained  this  so  that  I  could  mix  up  more 
in  case  the  ink  he  had  mixed  would  not  be  suffi- 
cient to  print  the  ten  thousand  sheets  of  the  two- 
dollar  bills,  which  would  make  twenty  thousand 


106       ,THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

dollars  in  counterfeit  money.  Then  he  meas- 
ured the  genuine  note  and  marked  where  the  seal 
was  to  be  printed.  He  also  prepared  the  blue 
shade  of  ink  for  this  impression.  He  advised  me 
to  pay  close  attention  to  the  black. 

"We  were  alone  in  the  room  while  he  was  in- 
structing me,  and  I  told  him  that  I  had  little 
faith  in  Cecala  and  his  companions  because  they 
did  not  give  me  any  money,  and  made  me  remain 
without  a  penny  after  having  worked  a  long  time. 
He  told  me  that  I  ought  to  be  contented,  for  I 
was  dealing  with  gentlemen.  In  olden  times,  he 
said,  men  in  that  line  of  work,  when  the  work  had 
been  done,  would  assassinate  the  one  doing  the 
very  work  I  was  doing.  The  man  was  murdered, 
he  explained  to  me,  so  that  the  counterfeiters 
would  not  be  discovered  and  the  secret  revealed 
to  the  police. 

"  'Is  there  any  danger  of  my  being  assassinated 
after  completing  this  work?'  I  asked. 

"  'No,'  he  said,  'there  is  no  danger.  You  are 
dealing  with  good  people.' 

"After  he  was  through  with  his  work  he 
wanted  to  see  how  the  printing  progressed  and 
how  many  an  hour  were  struck  off.    He  was  try- 


POLICE  PROTECTION  107 

ing  to  figure  whether  the  work  could  be  com- 
pleted in  fifteen  days. 

"We  worked  at  the  press  until  about  4  P.  M., 
when  there  were  over  three  thousand  sheets 
printed  on  one  side.  This  progress  seemed  to 
satisfy  the  photographer  and  ink  mixer.  At 
about  4 :30  P.  M.,  Cina,  Cecala  and  Bernardo 
went  away  with  the  stranger,  leaving  Uncle  Vin- 
cent behind  with  me.  Before  leaving,  Cecala 
said  that  Giglio  would  come  next  morn- 
ing to  help  and,  if  necessary,  Bernardo  would 
return  also.  Cecala  said  that  when  the  green 
side  of  the  printing  was  completed,  and  I  saw 
that  a  change  in  the  ink  was  necessary,  I  was  to 
leave  the  plant  and  meet  him  in  New  York. 
Hereupon  Uncle  Vincent  declared  that  it  was 
necessary  to  have  Bernardo  present  in  order  that 
some  one  could  be  watching  outside  the  stone 
house  and  keep  an  eye  out  for  strangers.  Cecala 
consented,  and  Bernardo  remained  with  us  to  do 
sentinel  duty.  Next  morning  Giglio  came,  and 
he  and  Uncle  Vincent  and  myself  worked  on 
without  interruption.  Bernardo,  armed  with  a 
revolver  and  a  rifle,  remained  on  the  outside,  hav- 
ing received  orders  from  Uncle  Vincent  to  fire 


108       THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

a  shot  into  the  air  in  the  event  of  strangers  ap- 
pearing.    This  was  to  be  the  signal  for  us. 

"On  February  9,  1909,  the  press  was  ready 
for  the  seal.  In  the  morning  Cina  handed  me  a 
note  from  Cecala  and  a  letter  from  my  aunt. 
Cecala's  note  requested  me  to  remain  in  the 
house  and  not  come  to  New  York  if  there  was 
no  urgent  need  of  it.  My  aunt's  note  informed 
me  that  my  brother  was  about  to  be  operated 
upon.  I  lost  no  time  getting  into  my  street 
clothes.  I  prevailed  on  Cina  to  show  me  the  way 
to  the  station,  where  I  boarded  a  train  for  New 
York. 

"My  first  move  was  to  see  Cecala  and  get  some 
money  from  him,  but  I  did  not  find  him  at  his 
home.  Then  I  went  to  Morello's  home  in  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth  Street.  Mrs.  Mo- 
rello  told  me  that  her  husband  was  not  at  home, 
nor  did  she  seem  to  know  where  Cecala  could  be 
found.  I  hurried  to  my  brother's  house,  got 
there  just  as  he  was  being  removed  in  an  ambu- 
lance to  the  Italian  Hospital  in  Houston  Street. 
I  was  without  a  penny  and  felt  very  miserable 
to  think  that  I  could  not  help  at  this  moment. 

"After  going  with  my  brother  to  the  hospital 
I  went  to  Cecala's  house.    He  seemed  much  sur- 


POLICE  PROTECTION  109 

prised  that  I  should  have  come  to  New  York 
without  first  consulting  him.  However,  when  I 
explained  the  circumstances,  Cecala  approved  of 
my  action,  but  said  that  he  had  no  money,  only 
two  dollars  for  the  return  fare.  He  assured  me, 
though,  that  he  would  see  to  it  that  my  brother 
was  put  in  a  private  ward.  This  would  be  an 
easy  matter,  Cecala  said,  because  he  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  several  of  the  doctors  at  the  Italian 
Hospital.  He  advised  me  to  leave  for  the  plant 
as  soon  as  possible,  saying  that  he  had  many  re- 
quests for  the  counterfeit  money  and  the  custo- 
mers were  waiting  for  him  to  fill  the  orders. 

"I  was  always  obedient  to  the  orders  of  the 
gang,  and  so  after  going  to  my  brother's  house 
and  trying  to  console  his  wife  by  assuring  her 
that  I  had  arranged  to  have  a  private  room  for 
him  at  the  hospital,  I  left  for  Highland  on  the 
11 :40  P.  M.  train.  It  was  very  cold  when  I  ar- 
rived at  the  little  station  on  the  Hudson,  and  I 
was  almost  frozen  stiff  trying  to  find  Cina's 
house  in  the  darkness.  I  stopped  at  Cina's  house 
until  the  next  morning  when  I  was  taken  in  his 
wagon  to  the  stone  house." 


CHAPTER  XII 

A   KNOCK  AT  THE  DOOR  AT  2  A.  M. 

"About  two  o'clock  on  the  night  of  February 
12,  1909,  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door  of  the 
stone  house.  Uncle  Vincent  jumped  out  of  bed 
and  grabbed  his  rifle.  Uncle  was  quite  pale. 
Bernardo  and  Giglio  armed  themselves  with  re- 
volvers. I  noticed  they  were  trembling.  I  went 
down  to  the  door  without  a  light  and  asked: 

"  'Who  is  it?' 

"  'We,'  replied  a  feminine  voice. 

"  'Who  are  you?' 

"  'Open  the  door,  professor.' 

"Hereupon  Uncle  Vincent  hurried  downstairs 
and  said: 

"  'Ignazio  has  come.' 

"Bernardo  and  Giglio  lighted  a  lamp  and 
opened  the  door.  A  well  dressed  man  wearing 
a  fur  overcoat  and  a  fur  cap,  a  man  about  thirty 
years  old,  ran  toward  Uncle  Vincent  and  em- 
braced him,  kissing  him  on  the  cheeks. 

no 


A  KNOCK  AT  THE  DOOR       111 

"Following  Ignazio  (Lupo),  came  Cecala, 
Sylvester,  Cina  and  an  elderly  man  who  had  gray 
hair  and  moustache,  a  man  of  more  than  fifty 
years  old,  elegantly  dressed,  and  wearing  a  gold 
watch  and  chain  and  a  large  diamond  ring. 
After  Cecala  had  introduced  me  to  Ignazio 
Lupo  and  the  elderly  man,  named  Uncle  Salva- 
tore,  they  requested  Caterina  to  get  up  and  pre- 
pare a  meal,  as  the  early  morning  visitors  were 
hungry  and  had  brought  meat  and  wine.  The 
new  arrivals  were  very  courteous  to  Caterina, 
especially  Lupo,  who  appeared  to  be  a  man  of 
great  politeness. 

"Lupo  talked  some  with  Caterina  and  asked 
her  if  she  liked  the  place,  to  which  Caterina  an- 
swered that  it  was  cold  in  the  house  and  that  she 
suffered  from  hunger.  Lupo  assured  her  that 
he  would  see  that  we  were  provided  for  amply 
hereafter,  and  wrote  down  on  a  piece  of  paper 
what  Caterina  suggested  in  the  way  of  food- 
stuffs. Lupo  then  instructed  Sylvester  to  take 
the  note  down  to  New  York  to  Mrs.  Lupo,  who 
would  have  the  goods  shipped  up  to  Highland. 
We  never  saw  the  goods,  though! 

"While  Caterina  was  frying  about  six  pounds 
of  meat,  Cecala  and  Cina  unloaded  two  large 


112        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

grips  and  several  bundles.  Lupo  opened  the 
valise  and  removed  two  repeating  rifles,  two  re- 
volvers and  four  boxes  of  cartridges.  There 
were  about  one  thousand  rounds  of  ammunition. 
Lupo  then  instructed  all  the  gang  in  the  use  of 
the  rifles  and  the  revolvers,  which,  he  said,  would 
shoot  about  fifteen  shots  a  minute.  All  present 
complimented  Lupo  on  his  foresight,  declaring 
that  the  weapons  were  just  the  thing.  After  a 
little  more  talk  about  the  arms  every  one  sat 
down  to  eat,  except  I  and  Caterina.  There 
were  no  chairs  left  for  us.  We  acted  as  waiters, 
serving  the  'lords'  of  the  gang! 

"They  were  eating  and  drinking  joyfully  when 
Uncle  Vincent  turned  to  Lupo  and  said: 

"  'What  news  are  you  bringing,  Ignazio?' 

"  'You  all  know  the  news.  Besides,  Petrosino  x 
has  gone  to  Italy.' 

"  'If  he  went  to  Italy,  he  is  as  good  as  dead,' 
said  Uncle  Vincent. 

"  'I  hope  they  get  him,'  was  the  pious  wish  of 
Cina. 

i  Lieutenant  Joseph  Petrosino  of  the  Italian  Detective  Bureau, 
attached  to  the  New  York  Police  Department,  was  murdered  in 
Palermo,  Sicily,  while  on  a  mission  for  the  Police  Department 
then  under  the  guidance  of  Commissioner  Theodore  Bingham. 
Petrosino  had  been  an  implacable  foe  of  the  Lupo-Morello  gang. 
His  murder  has  never  been  explained  to  the  public. 


A  KNOCK  AT  THE  DOOR       113 

"  'He  has  ruined  many  of  us,'  went  on  Lupo. 
'It  is  enough  to  say  that  he  had  himself  locked 
up  in  the  Tombs  Prison  to  interrogate  the  sus- 
pects and  uncover  crimes.' 

"  'Many  a  mother's  child  he  has  ruined,'  said 
Uncle  Salvatore  (Palermo),  'and  how  many  are 
still  crying!' 

"  'What  is  more,'  continued  Lupo,   'I  have 

given  Michele,  the  Calabrian,  his  fare  to 

to  go  and  see  his  family,  which  was  stricken  by 
the  earthquake.' 

"  'You  have  done  well,'  broke  in  Cecala,  wink- 
ing an  evil  eye  and  making  a  peculiar  motion. 
Doubtless  this  was  a  secret  sign.  He  lifted  his 
glass  and  shouted :  'Let's  drink  our  own  health 
and  to  hell  with  that  Carogna!' * 

"The  'table  talk'  now  turned  on  other  things, 
such  as  the  exploding  of  bombs  by  Sylvester, 
aided  by  his  son  and  the  step-brother  of  Morello. 
It  appeared  that  they  had  run  away  after  the 
bomb  had  been  hurled  when  they  were  caught 
and  brought  before  the  judge,  where  they 
pleaded  innocence  and  so  escaped  the  clutches  of 

i  Carogna  in  the  Sicilian  dialect  means  a  putrid,  dead  animal. 
Among  the  Sicilian  criminals  the  word  is  used  to  designate  any- 
body that  brings  harm  to  any  gang  of  criminals. 


114        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

A     ■  ■ 

the  law.  There  was  some  talk  of  Lupo's  busi- 
ness failure  for  a  matter  of  about  $100,000;  and 
mention  was  also  made  of  the  failure  of  a  bank 
in  Elizabeth  Street,  which  was  controlled  by 
Uncle  Vincent. 

"In  spite  of  his  business  reverses  Lupo  was  in 
good  humor  and  sang  several  songs  for  the  com- 
pany with  the  bravado  of  the  born  bandit.  By 
and  by  the  lusty  gang  went  to  bed,  occupying 
every  bed  in  the  house.  Caterina  and  I  re- 
mained awake.  At  daylight,  Cina,  Sylvester 
and  Giglio  left.  The  others  remained  to  direct 
and  help  in  the  work. 

"After  three  days  of  directing  the  work  at 
the  stone  house,  and  trying  out  the  guns  in  the 
woods  together  with  Uncle  Salvatore,  Lupo  and 
the  latter  departed.  Salvatore  remarking  that 
he  was  going  to  make  his  home  at  Cina's  house. 
Their  departure  left  Uncle  Vincent,  Giglio, 
Bernardo  and  myself  to  do  the  work. 

"About  the  twenty-third  or  the  twenty-fourth 
of  February,  I  am  not  certain  which,  I  gave  to 
Cina  and  Cecala  the  completed  work  on  the  two- 
dollar  notes,  that  is:  twenty  thousand  and  four 
hundred  dollars  in  counterfeit  money.  The  bills 
were  put  up  in  packages  of  one  hundred  and 


A  KNOCK  AT  THE  DOOR     [115 

- 
bundled    into    a    dress    suit    case.     Then    they 

started  to  plan  the  route  for  distributing  the  bad 
money.  Cecala  said  that  he  preferred  to  go  to 
Philadelphia  first ;  then  Baltimore,  where  he  had 
many  friends;  from  Baltimore  they  would  cover 
Pittsburgh,  Buffalo  and  Chicago.  The  counter- 
feit money,  after  being  placed  at  each  of  the 
centers,  was  to  be  placed  in  circulation  on  a 
given  day,  so  that  the  notes  would  appear  simul- 
taneously in  all  the  cities. 

"They  made  me  take  the  plates  off  the  press 
and  hide  them  under  a  plank  in  the  floor  to- 
gether with  some  ink.  Every  piece  of  paper 
with  any  printing  on  was  burned.  Before  de- 
parting they  assured  Caterina  and  I  that  they 
would  return  in  a  week  and  give  us  some  good 
money ;  also,  they  would  then  tell  me  whether  to 
continue  or  suspend  the  work. 

"A  very  lonesome  week  in  the  dreary  old  stone 
house  followed.  On  the  first  Sunday  in  March, 
1909,  Cina's  brother,  Peppino,  bobbed  up.  He 
had  come  to  take  me  to  Cina's  house  where  cer- 
tain people  from  New  York  wanted  to  talk  with 
me.  He  took  a  boxful  of  the  Canadian  five- 
dollar  counterfeit  bills.  The  visitors  were  to  de- 
termine whether  the  Canadian  money  was  good 


116        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

enough  to  sell  or  whether  it  was  to  be  burned 
up,  so  he  explained. 

"Upon  hearing  this  I  had  a  presentiment  that 
the  day  of  my  being  murdered  had  arrived. 
Without  saying  a  word  to  Peppino  and  Cina, 
I  called  Caterina  aside  and  told  her  my  fears. 
I  showed  her  how  to  use  the  rifle. 

"  'Caterina,'  I  said,  'in  case  I  do  not  return 
and  people  come  to  you  with  any  excuse,  no 
matter  what,  to  get  you,  it  is  a  sure  sign  that 
they  have  assassinated  me.  Then  shoot  whoever 
comes  after  you,  or  they  will  murder  you!' 

"The  poor  woman  began  to  cry,  and  I  had 
difficulty  in  composing  her.  Unnoticed  by  Pep- 
pino I  managed  to  steal  Uncle  Vincent's  revol- 
ver, and  put  it  into  my  pocket." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  BLACK-HANDERS  IN   SESSION 

"Upon  entering  the  house,  which  was  close  hy 
Cina's  farmhouse,  I  saw  a  table  in  a  room  on 
the  ground  floor  and  around  this  table  were 
seated  the  following  bandits:  Ignazio  Lupo, 
Giuseppe  Morello,  Antonio  Cecala,  Uncle  Sal- 
vatore  (Giuseppe  Palermo),  Uncle  Vincent, 
Vincenzio  Giglio,  Bernardo  Perrone,  Nicola  Syl- 
vester, besides  a  man  from  Brooklyn  whom  the 
gang  called  Domenico  and  who  was  a  baker,  and 
five  other  men  whose  names  I  did  not  know. 
Cina  was  not  there,  being  occupied  with  his  fam- 
ily, where  a  birth  was  expected  momentarily. 

"As  I  stepped  in  no  one  motioned  to  recog- 
nize me  nor  was  my  greeting  returned.  Me- 
chanically I  took  a  seat.  After  about  ten  min- 
utes of  sinister  silence  and  ill-boding  glances, 
Cina  broke  the  strain  as  he  came  rushing  in  with 
Peppino,  his  brother,  both  of  them  laughing  and 
shouting  like  madmen. 

117 


118        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"  'A  boy!    A  boy!'  they  yelled. 

"Cina  received  the  congratulations  of  the 
gang.  Silence  once  more  haunted  the  room. 
Then  Lupo  turned  to  me  abruptly  and  said: 

"  'Don  Antonio,  your  work  is  worthless.  It 
is  a  rotten  job;  so  much  so  that  none  of  it  could 
be  sold.  Cina  and  Cecala  have  risked  their  lives 
in  trying  to  sell  it.  However,  they  have  sold 
some  four  thousand  dollars  of  the  counterfeit 
money,  taking  in,  all  in  all,  about  one  thousand 
dollars  in  genuine  money.  They  have  expended 
about  two  hundred  dollars  on  their  trip  to  differ- 
ent cities  distributing  our  product.  Therefore, 
there  remains  about  eight  hundred  dollars,  which 
will  be  divided  among  the  ones  that  have  ad- 
vanced the  first  money.  If  you  had  turned  out 
a  good  job  we  could  have  taken  in  more  by 
selling  it  all.  As  it  is  about  seven  or  eight  thou- 
sand dollars  have  been  made  for  the  stove. 

"  'The  Canadian  money  is  worthless  and  must 
be  burned.  It  cannot  be  put  on  the  market. 
But  this  is  no  fault  of  yours,  in  this  instance. 
It  is  the  fault  of  the  one  who  made  the  plates. 

"  'Now  you  watch  how  the  money  is  divided. 
If  there  is  any  left,  you  get  it.  These  men  pres- 
ent will  not  accept  a  penny  of  the  remainder 


BLACK-HANDERS  IN  SESSION     119 

until  those  who  advanced  the  money  have  been 
settled  with.' 

"  'As  my  work  did  not  turn  out  well,'  I  re- 
plied to  Lupo,  'give  me  only  enough  to  return 
to  New  York.' 

"  'No,'  broke  in  Morello,  decisively.  'We 
don't  know  yet  whether  you  may  return  to  New 
York  or  whether  you  are  to  continue  the  work 
in  company  with  another  man.' 

"  'You  want  money?'  asked  Lupo.  'Who  will 
give  it  to  you?  I  have  spent  two  hundred  dol- 
lars and  now  will  take  that  amount.  There  will 
then  be  but  six  hundred  dollars  to  be  divided.' 

"  'Don't  do  things  all  your  own  way,  Ignazio,' 
Morello  warned  in  his  husky  voice.  'Let  us  de- 
liberate and  argue  this  thing  out.  There  are 
eight  hundred  dollars.  You  have  spent  two 
hundred  dollars.  You  get  seventy-five  dollars 
now.  I  have  spent  fifty  dollars  and  will  take 
it  now,  as  I  need  it  very  much,  as  you  know. 
Fifty  dollars  we  will  give  to  Cina,  twenty  dol- 
lars to  Don  Antonio,  ten  to  Uncle  Salvatore  and 
ten  more  to  Uncle  Vincent,  five  to  Giglio  and 
five  to  Bernardo;  what  is  left  is  needed  for  the 
continuation  of  the  work  with  the  other  plates.' 

"  'And  the  man  who  made  the  plates,  don't 


120        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

you  want  to  give  him  anything?'  inquired  Cecala. 

"  'Yes,'  was  the  reply  in  chorus. 

"  'Well,'  turning  to  me,  'take  these  twenty 
dollars,'  said  Morello,  'and  return  to  the  house. 
Await  there  the  decision  whether  you  are  to  re- 
turn to  New  York  or  not.' 

"I  accepted  the  money  and  tucked  it  into  my 
pocket.  Then  I  was  driven  to  the  stone  house 
in  a  carriage  accompanied  by  Cina's  brother 
Peppino. 

"During  this  session  with  the  gang  some  of 
them  got  busy  and  started  to  burn  up  the  Cana- 
dian five-dollar  notes,  and  a  portion  of  the  two- 
dollar  American  notes.  These  were  the  notes  re- 
turned as  worthless  by  the  gang.  While  throw- 
ing the  notes  into  the  stove  Uncle  Salvatore  and 
Peppino  exclaimed  from  time  to  time: 

"  'What  a  shame.  They  might  all  have  been 
sold.' 

"Once  more  at  the  stone  house  I  explained  to 
Caterina  what  had  happened.  I  told  her  that 
they  had  given  me  the  twenty  dollars  and  that 
I  was  going  to  go  to  New  York  and  not  return ; 
of  course  she  was  to  come  along  with  me.  But 
after  thinking  it  over  we  resolved  that  our  ap- 


BLACK-HANDERS  IN  SESSION    121 

pearance  was  so  miserable  that  we  had  better  re- 
main a  while  longer.  There  was  also  the  ever- 
present  danger  that  if  we  ran  away  from  this 
gang  we  would  be  murdered.  We  abandoned 
the  idea,  therefore,  and  stayed  at  the  stone  house 
awaiting  the  orders  of  the  gang. 

"We  were  not  kept  waiting  *ong.  Next 
morning,  Salvatore  Cina  came  to  the  house  in  a 
very  happy  mood.  He  told  me  that  I  could  not 
return  to  New  York  because  the  work  was  to 
be  continued  with  other  and  better  plates  for 
the  two-dollar  notes.  The  five-dollar  notes  were 
to  be  continued,  and  we  were  to  print  until  five 
million  dollars  had  been  struck  off  the  press. 
This  amount,  he  said,  would  make  us  all  rich. 
Then  the  work  was  to  cease.  He  told  me  that 
it  had  been  decided  to  buy  a  horse  and  carriage 
for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  stone  house.  I  was 
to  go  to  New  York  and  meet  Cecala  who  would 
introduce  me  to  the  man  who  was  to  direct  the 
work  from  now  on.  I  was  to  tell  Cina  the  day 
I  intended  going  to  New  York. 

"After  arranging  that  Giglio  and  Bernardo 
were  to  remain  with  Caterina,  while  I  was  in 
New  York  and  Uncle  Vincent  went  to  New- 


122        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

burgh  on  business,  I  said  that  I  would  be  ready 
for  my  trip  in  two  days.  Then  Cina  left  me 
after  he  had  warned  me  not  to  tell  any  of  the 
secrets  of  the  place,  explaining  how  hard  it  was 
for  the  police  to  discover  the  plant.     He  declared 

I  must  be  happy  in  the  thought  of  future  wealth. 

"On  March  7, 1909,  Cina  returned  to  the  stone 
house  with  a  carriage,  bringing  Giglio  and  Ber- 
nardo to  keep  Caterina  company.  He  drove  me 
to  the  Highland  station,  and  I  got  aboard  the 

II  A.  M.  train  for  New  York.  Arriving  at  the 
Grand  Central  station  I  was  met  by  Cecala,  who 
took  me  to  a  house  at  No.  5  Jones  Street.  Not 
finding  the  party  he  was  seeking  there,  he  told 
me  to  go  to  my  aunt's  house  and  return  to  the 
Jones  Street  address  at  eight  o'clock  that  even- 
ing and  ask  for  Don  Peppe. 

"That  same  evening  at  the  appointed  hour  I 
went  to  the  Jones  Street  house  and  inquired  in 
a  grocery  store  on  the  street  floor  for  Don  Peppe. 
A  woman  indicated  to  me  the  door  where  I 
knocked.  A  bald-headed  man,  about  forty-five 
years  old,  with  a  nice  light  brown  moustache 
opened  the  door. 

"Cecala  was  there  seated  in  a  chair.  He  in- 
troduced me  to  the  man  who  opened  the  door 


BLACK-HANDERS  IN  SESSION"     123 

saying  that  he  was  Giuseppe  Calichio,  a  litho- 
graph engraver,  alias  Don  Peppe.  Cecala 
turned  to  Calichio  and  said: 

"  'Don  Peppe,  we  are  in  need  of  your  work. 
This  man  (indicating  me)  is  a  printer,  but  he  is 
not  capable  of  doing  the  work  that  we  require. 
You  must  go  with  him  and  continue  this  work. 
It  is  already  started  and  everything  will  go  well. 
When  we  have  printed  two  or  three  million  dol- 
lars' worth  we  will  stop.     We  are  in  luck.' 

"  'Unless  we  are  discovered  by  the  police,'  re- 
plied Calichio. 

"  'Have  no  such  fear,'  said  Cecala.  'The 
place  where  the  work  is  done  is  very  secure.  No 
one  would  ever  suspect  that  such  a  thing  is  go- 
ing there.' 

"  'Listen,  Cecala,'  said  Calichio.  'If  things 
happen  as  they  did  when  I  did  work  for  you  be- 
fore, then  I  refuse  to  go.  I  do  not  care  to  work 
and  risk  my  life  and  then  get  nothing  for  it.' 

"  'No,  no,'  said  Cecala.  'You  know  that  that 
work  did  not  turn  out  at  all  well.' 

"  'I  know  nothing  other  than  that  you  caused 
me  to  sell  my  little  printing  shop,  and  I  am  in 
terrible  condition  financially  even  now  as  a  re- 
sult of  it.     If  you  want  me  to  do  the  work  you 


124        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

speak  about  in  company  with  brother  Comito 
here,  you  must  give  me  twenty  dollars  a  week 
and  board.  I  have  a  family  in  Italy  to  look 
after,  don't  forget.  As  long  as  you  pay  me  what 
I  want  I  am  ready  to  work  for  you ;  but  I  must 
be  paid  in  advance.  The  first  week  that  you 
fail  to  pay  me  in  advance  I  will  cease  to  work  and 
come  home.  And  what  is  more,  my  dear  Cecala, 
I  want  good  eating  and  must  have  wine  every 
day ;  as  you  know  there  is  not  a  day  that  goes  by 
without  my  drinking  wine  that  I  do  not  get  a 
headache.  The  wine  gives  me  strength  and 
health.' 

"Cecala's  answer  to  this  was  characteristic: 

"  'Don  Peppe,  I  will  do  all  that  is  possible  to 
get  you  twenty  dollars  a  week,  but  I  must  first 
talk  with  the  others,  my  friends,  as  you  know 
that  I  am  not  alone  in  this  undertaking.  As  to 
the  eating,  you  will  have  all  that  you  want  and 
there  will  be  wine.  I  will  have  a  barrel  of  it 
shipped  to  Highland,  direct  to  Cina,  who  will  see 
that  you  get  some  when  you  want  it.' 

"  'Who  is  this  Cina?'  asked  Calichio,  suspi- 
ciously. 

"  'He  is  my  godfather,  whom  you  will  know 
when  you  are  in  Highland,'  said  Cecala. 


BLACK-HANDERS  IN  SESSION     125 

"  'Perhaps  he  is  that  farmer  whom  I  saw  in 
Don  Piddu's  (Morello's)  house  last  year?' 

"  'Precisely,'  said  Cecala. 

"He  continued :  'I  will  bring  the  first  twenty 
dollars  to-morrow.  To-morrow  night  you  will 
leave  with  Comito?' 

"  'All  right.  But  first,  I  must  see  the  plates 
and  examine  them  to  see  whether  they  are  good. 
If  I  am  to  do  this  work,  it  must  be  done  per- 
fectly. You  know  that  I  do  not  do  things  by 
halves.  I  must  see  whether  the  plates  need  re- 
touching. I  will  bring  my  tools.  If  I  am  un- 
able to  use  them  for  this  work  then  we  will  buy 
some  before  leaving  the  city.' 

"  'Have  no  doubt,'  continued  Cecala.  'I  will 
come  to-morrow  morning  and  show  the  plates  to 
you,  and  you  can  take  them  with  you.' 

"  'Come  to-morrow  about  10  A.  M.  with  Co- 
mito,  and  not  before  ten,  because  I  expect  a  per- 
son on  some  personal  business  and  do  not  want 
him  to  see  you,'  counselled  Calichio. 

"During  all  this  talk  I  did  not  say  a  word. 
On  my  way  with  Cecala  to  my  aunt's  house  in 
Bleecker  Street  Cecala  remarked: 

"  'Don  Antonio,  that  man  Calichio  is  the  pro- 
fessor for  the  job.     In  Italy  he  has  printed  for 


126        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

aristocratic  families,  who  were  in  hard  luck.  He 
printed  for  these  aristocrats  about  three  million 
dollars  in  fifty,  one-hundred,  five-hundred  and 
one-thousand  lire  notes.  This  money  was 
worked  off  in  this  country  on  people  who  were 
going  to  Italy  on  trips.  Don  Peppe  is  capable 
of  transferring  to  lithographic  stones  the  engrav- 
ing on  bank  notes  and  then  transfer  the  engrav- 
ing from  the  lithographic  stones  on  to  zinc 
plates,  and  in  this  way  perfect  the  plates  that 
are  necessary  for  our  business.' 

"  'Is  that  how  our  plates  were  made?'  I  in- 
quired. 

"  'No.  Ours  were  made  by  photography  and  a 
lot  of  preparations  are  necessary  by  that  method. 
It  is  enough  to  say  that  I  have  spent  over  a  hun- 
dred dollars  up-to-date  for  chemicals.' 

"Suddenly  Cecala  turned  on  me  a  whis- 
pered: 'Don  Antonio,  what  have  you  told  your 
aunt?' 

"  'Nothing— why?' 

"  'Did  she  ask  where  you  are  working?' 

"  'No.  She  knows  that  I  am  working  in  Phila- 
delphia.' 

"  'Good!  If  she  asks  with  whom  you  are 
working  in  Philadelphia  say  that  your  employer 


BLACK-HANDERS  IN  SESSION     127 

is    a    priest,    and    his    name    is    Bonaventure 

( )' 

"  'Very  well,'  I  replied.  'My  aunt  is  not  in- 
terested whether  I  am  working  with  a  priest  or 
with  a  monk.  I  have  told  her  that  I  was  em- 
ployed in  a  printing  shop,  nothing  else.' 

"  'Good!  You  are  an  intelligent  man,  and 
that  is  why  I  and  all  my  friends  like  you  Cala- 
brians,  because  you  are  secretive  and  are  never 
corrupted.  I  knew  a  Calabrian  who  was  ar- 
rested with  counterfeit  notes  on  him,  once,  and 
the  policemen  made  him  all  kinds  of  promises 
and  even  punched  him,  in  their  effort  to  learn 
from  him  who  had  given  him  the  counterfeit 
money  to  exchange;  but  he  never  told  a  word. 
He  never  squealed.' 

"I  made  no  reply;  only  shook  Cecala's  hand 
and  went  to  my  aunt's. 

"The  next  morning,  I  forget  whether  it  was 
the  9th  or  the  10th  of  March,  I  went  at  the  given 
hour  to  Calichio's  house,  where  I  found  Cecala 
examining  the  zinc  plates  for  the  two-dollar 
American  notes,  of  the  check  letter  C,  plate  num- 
ber 1110. 

"Calichio  carefully  examined  the  plates  with 
a  magnifying  glass.     He  explained  to  us  that 


128        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

the  acids  that  were  used  for  washing  the  plates 
were  too  strong  and  had  destroyed  some  fine 
lines  and  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  retouch 
the  plates  and  so  raise  the  missing  lines.  He 
would  do  it  himself,  Calichio  said,  if  the  proper 
tools  were  brought  to  him.  Cecala  quickly  an- 
swered that  the  tools  would  be  bought  immedi- 
ately and  that  we  were  to  prepare  to  leave  for 
Highland  that  night.  We  then  went  to  a  hard- 
ware store  on  the  Bowery,  and  Calichio  selected 
some  chisels  and  other  tools,  for  which  Cecala 
paid.  As  soon  as  we  were  out  of  the  store  Ce- 
cala gave  Calichio  his  first  twenty  dollars  in  ad- 
vance.    Turning  to  me,  Cecala  said: 

"  'Don  Antonio,  Don  Peppe  and  I  are  going 
to  buy  some  chemicals.  You  can  go  away  and 
be  at  Jones  Street  to-night  at  10  P.  M.  ready 
to  leave.  Buy  what  you  need,  because  you  will 
not  return  to  New  York  until  the  work  is  com- 
pleted.' 

"I  went  to  a  store  and  bought  a  pair  of  shoes 
for  myself  and  a  pair  for  Caterina.  I  also 
bought  some  little  delicacies  of  food  for  her. 

"That  night  the  three  of  us  left  on  the  11 
P.  M.  train  for  Highland.  Arriving  there  at  2 
in  the  morning,  we  were  met  at  the  station  by 


BLACK-HANDERS  IN  SESSION     129 

Peppino  Cina  with  a  carriage.  He  told  us  that 
we  must  go  directly  to  the  stone  house  and  not 
stop  at  Cina's  farm  because  a  strange  face  might 
arouse  suspicion  among  the  neighbors.  We  did 
not  work  that  day.  We  took  a  much-needed 
rest." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

PEINTING  THE  BAD  MONEY 

"Calichio  was  up  at  an  early  hour  and  set 
to  work  retouching  the  two-dollar  American  note 
plates.  He  fixed  the  plates  on  wood  blocks, 
made  the  press  ready  and  got  the  right  impres- 
sion, prepared  the  ink  and  struck  off  proofs  on 
several  kinds  of  paper  to  see  the  effect  of  the 
ink  and  get  the  correct  shade.  He  also  pre- 
pared some  chemicals  with  which  to  dampen  the 
paper  and  give  a  darker  shade.  Having  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  right  shade  of  green 
Calichio  explained  that  the  color  was  the  same 
as  on  the  genuine  notes  and  that  all  they  needed 
now  was  the  paper. 

"Cecala  then  said  he  would  leave  immediately 
and  have  the  paper  shipped  forthwith.  Turning 
to  me  Cecala  gave  instructions  for  me  to  be  busy 
only  at  feeding  the  press.  Don  Peppe  were  to 
direct  the  job.     I  to  obey  the  latter  in  every  de- 

130 


PRINTING  THE  BAD  MONEY      131 

tail.  Cecala  then  took  the  proofs  and  put  them 
in  his  pocket,  saying  that  he  would  show  them 
to  Ignazio  and  Don  Piddu  (Lupo  and  Morello) 
and  mark  the  difference  between  this  and  the 
first  job,  which  was  mine. 

"Two  days  later  Nick  Sylvester  came  and 
brought  with  him  a  suit-case  full  of  paper  which 
he  gave  to  Calichio  saying: 

"  'To-morrow  Ignazio  will  come  to  see  how 
the  work  is  going  along.  In  the  meantime  you 
can  proceed  with  the  work  and  print.  I  will  re- 
main to  help  you.' 

"When  Lupo  arrived  the  next  morning  in 
company  with  Cecala  and  Cina  they  all  came  up 
to  the  work  room.  After  examining  the  work 
they  praised  Calichio,  telling  him  that  they  ought 
to  give  him  a  gold  medal.  As  for  me,  I  was  de- 
served of  a  dirty,  leather  medal,  the  bandits 
hinted. 

"Turning  to  me  Lupo  said,  'This  homely  Cala- 
brian  doesn't  even  deserve  to  be  looked  at.  The 
work  he  did  should  have  been  burned  on  his  head* 

"I  did  not  reply,  but  played  the  simpleton. 

"After  examining  the  work  Lupo  turned  to 
Uncle  Vincent  and  said: 

"  'Uncle  Vic — guess  what's  happened?' 


132        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"'What?' 

"  'Petrosino  was  killed  in  Italy.' 

"  'Honestly?' 

"  'Honestly.     The  papers  are  talking  about  it.' 

"  'I  said  it,'  continued  Uncle  Vincent,  'that  if 
Petrosino  went  to  Italy  they  would  kill  him.' 

"  'Who  was  the  hero?  He  deserves  a  medal,' 
said  Cecala. 

"  'And  where  have  they  killed  him?'  continued 
Uncle  Vincent. 

"  'In  Palermo/ 

"  'Then  it  means  that  it  was  well  done/  said 
Uncle  Vincent,  significantly. 

"  'Certainly.  The  way  it  was  done  it  could 
never  fail,'  said  Lupo. 

"  'And ,'  Cecala  said.     'This  was 

death  becoming  him.  How  many  sons  of 
mothers  he  has  condemned  for  nothing.' 

"Hearing  all  this  I  asked: 

"  'Who  is  this  Petrosino?' 

"  'He  was  the  head  of  the  secret  police  in  New 
York,' replied  Cecala.  'A  homely  man!  Worse 
than  the  Bubonic  Plague.' 

"  'I  never  heard  of  him.' 

"  'You  will  never  meet  him,'  said  Cecala 
dryly,  the  others  grinning. 


PRINTING  THE  BAD  MONEY       133 

"  'Then  it  was  successful?'  continued  Uncle 
Vincent. 

"  'Certainly/  replied  Lupo.  'It  could  not  be 
successful  in  New  York  because  he  guarded  his 
hide.  Here  he  toted  a  revolver  in  his  coat  pocket 
and  was  guarded  by  two  policemen  a  short  dis- 
tance behind  him.' 

"  'It  is  a  good  example  for  the  policemen,' 
continued  Uncle  Vincent.  'No  one  will  now 
dare  to  go  to  Palermo.  There  they  will  find 
only  sure  death.' 

"Cina  did  not  talk  any  because  he  was  in- 
tent on  spreading  the  counterfeit  notes  out  on 
the  garret  floor.  When  he  came  downstairs  to 
the  workroom,  however,  he  said : 

"  'As  soon  as  we  can  we  must  celebrate  for 
joy;  just  now  we  will  be  content  with  a  glass  of 
wine.' 

"They  all  went  downstairs  and  sat  at  a  table 
conversing  in  low  voices  and  I  could  not  under- 
stand what  they  said  because  the  press  made  a 
noise  and  interfered  with  my  hearing. 

"I  and  Uncle  Vincent  continued  to  work  at 
the  press  under  Calichio's  directions.  Sylvester 
would  take  the  notes  as  they  were  printed  and 
spread  them  out  on  the  floor  in  the  garret  to  dry. 


134       JHE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Bernardo  was  stationed  outside  armed  with  rifle 
and  revolver  to  guard  the  house  and  to  'spot' 
any  person  who  might  pass  or  prowl  about  the 
premises. 

"In  the  afternoon  of  that  day  Lupo,  Cecala, 
and  Cina  went  outside  and  had  some  sport  try- 
ing out  their  revolvers  against  the  trees.  When 
they  returned  Lupo  asked  Calichio  how  long  it 
would  take  to  print  the  ten  thousand  two-dollar 
bills.  About  twenty  days  was  Calichio's  esti- 
mate. 

"Lupo  then  told  Calichio  that  he  would  leave 
the  plant,  but  would  return  at  the  end  of  the 
month  and  bring  plates  for  five-dollar  Ameri- 
can notes.  He  addressed  Calichio  as  'dear  Don 
Peppe'  and  told  him  to  be  prepared  for  the  work 
and  to  take  particular  pains  with  the  five-dollar 
notes,  because  he  intended  sending  some  of  them 
to  Italy. 

"  'Have  no  doubts,'  replied  Calichio.  'I  have 
never  done  any  work  that  was  useless,  and  you 
know  it.     My  work  has  always  been  perfect.' 

"  'Bravo,  Don  Peppe,  we  know  that  you  are 
a  professor  at  it,'  said  Cecala. 

"That  same  night  about  six  P.  M.  Cecala, 
Lupo,  and  Cina  went  away,  leaving  me  with 


PRINTING  THE  BAD  MONEY       135 

Calichio,  Uncle  Vincent,  Sylvester,  and  Ber- 
nardo. 

"During  that  month  (March,  1909)  we 
worked  without  interruption  printing  the  two- 
dollar  notes.  About  the  27th,  the  first  twenty 
thousand  dollars  of  the  counterfeit  two-dollar 
notes  were  ready  and  were  turned  over  to  Cina 
and  Sylvester,  who  were  to  bring  them  to  New 
York. 

"After  this  first  job  of  Calichio's  workman- 
ship had  been  turned  over,  on  the  last  Sunday 
in  March  Lupo  returned  in  company  with  Cina, 
Sylvester  and  Giglio,  who  brought  the  plates  for 
the  five-dollar  notes  and  about  twenty  thousand 
sheets  of  paper  upon  which  to  print  the  addi- 
tional money. 

"Upon  receiving  the  plates  Calichio  looked 
them  over  attentively  and  said  that  they  were 
copper  plates  and  not  zinc,  and  that  there  was 
need  of  slight  retouching.  He  detected  several 
lines  that  were  not  shown  in  the  photograph  on 
the  face  of  the  note.  These  lines  needed  to  be 
etched  into  the  plates  in  the  picture,  which  rep- 
resented a  farmer  and  an  old  man  with  a  woman 
and  a  dog. 

"Lupo  explained  to  Calichio  that  Cecala  was 


136        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

on  the  road  about  New  York,  Brooklyn  and  Ho- 
boken,  selling  the  two-dollar  notes,  but  that  as 
soon  as  he  finished  up  this  work  he  would  re- 
turn to  the  stone  house  and  oversee  the  work 
there. 

"Calichio  prepared  the  press,  fixed  the  inks, 
and  printed  the  first  proofs  for  the  green  side  of 
the  five-dollar  notes.  These  were  pronounced 
very  good  by  Lupo  and  Uncle  Vincent  and  they 
ordered  that  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  of  them 
be  printed.  Whatever  paper  was  left  was  to 
be  used  for  the  two-dollar  notes,  which  were  very 
good  and  easily  disposed  of. 

"On  the  night  of  the  29th,  or  30th  of  March, 
1909,  Lupo  left  in  company  with  Uncle  Vincent 
and  Cina.  Before  leaving,  however,  instructions 
were  given  to  Bernardo,  Giglio  and  Sylvester  to 
count  the  notes  printed  daily  so  that  none  could 
be  unaccounted  for  and  sold  into  circulation. 
The  fear  that  cheating  might  be  practiced  was 
evidently  in  Lupo's  mind. 

"We  had  been  working  about  a  week  on  the 
green  side  of  the  five-dollar  notes  when  on  April 
5th,  or  6th,  Cina  came  to  the  stone  house  and 
told  us  to  suspend  the  work  and  start  in  on  the 
two-dollar  notes,  because  there  was  a  large  de- 


PRINTING  THE  BAD  MONEY      137 

mand  for  them  from  Boston,  Buffalo  and  Chi- 
cago, where  customers  were  anxiously  awaiting 
a  new  supply.  Calichio  immediately  got  the 
press  ready  to  print  another  ten  thousand  of 
the  two-dollar  notes. 

"It  was  at  this  time  that  I  decided  not  to  con- 
tinue the  work  and  left  the  press  because  I  was 
not  spoken  to  but  ignored  entirely.  Even  Syl- 
vester and  Giglio  called  me  by  an  obscene  name 
and  referred  to  me  in  the  most  distasteful  lan- 
guage, horrible  to  hear  because  of  the  profanity. 
I  told  Cina  I  wanted  him  to  write  to  Cecala  and 
tell  him  to  send  me  sufficient  money  for  my  fare 
to  New  York.  At  this  Cina  answered  in  the 
Sicilian  dialect: 

'You  are  waiting  for  me  to  blow  your  brains 
out.  Now  that  we  are  at  the  point  where  we 
can  earn  some  money,  you  get  sassy.  Here  you 
are  dealing  with  gentlemen;  otherwise,  by  this 
time  you  would  be  dead.  Go  ahead  and  work. 
No  more  of  this  fussing.' 

"Then  turning  to  Sylvester  and  Giglio,  Cina 
continued:  '(Piciotti)  Boys,  watch  this  Cala- 
brian,  and  if  he  don't  want  to  work,  shoot  him 
and  make  a  hole  for  him  in  the  farm.' 

"After  hearing  this  I  felt  like  a  whipped  dog 


138        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

and  kept  my  mouth  closed.  I  went  over  to  the 
press  and  started  in  to  work.  Calichio  came 
over  to  me  and  said : 

"  'Don  Antonio,  look  out.  Don't  act  this  way 
with  these  people,  because  they  are  all  of  the 
(Mala-vita)  Mafia  and  will  do  you  harm  in  an 
instant.  As  long  as  you  are  among  them  you 
must  obey  orders,  as  I  do,  using  prudence.' 

"Now  it  happened  that  for  two  weeks  Calichio 
had  not  received  his  weekly  salary  and  he  be- 
came nervous  for  this  reason.  One  day,  when 
I  did  not  want  to  print  on  wet  paper,  he  dressed 
and  went  away.  I,  thinking  that  he  had  just 
gone  out,  stopped  working  and  waited  for  him 
to  return.  But  at  night,  when  Sylvester,  Giglio 
and  Bernardo  saw  that  Calichio  did  not  return, 
they  threatened  me  with  death.  Sylvester 
pointed  a  loaded  revolver  at  me  saying  that  he 
would  dig  my  eyes  out;  Giglio,  taking  an  axe 
in  his  hand,  said  he  wanted  to  cut  my  head  off, 
but  Caterina  intervened  and  the  threatening 
stopped.  Sylvester  left  the  stone  house  to  carry 
the  news  to  New  York. 

"Three  days  went  by  without  any  work  being 
done,  then  Calichio  returned  in  company  with 
Sylvester  and  Cina.     Cina  handed  me  a  note 


PRINTING  THE  BAD  MONEY      139 

from  Cecala  which  informed  me  that  I  must  obey 
Calichio's  order  or  suffer  terrible  consequences. 
I  worked  on  against  my  will  under  Calichio's  or- 
ders." 


CHAPTER  XV 


SOME  "AFTER-DINNER"   CONFESSIONS 


"One  night  in  the  month  of  April  (1909)  I 
was  sitting  with  the  bandits  in  the  stone  house 
and  listening  to  their  stories.  Calichio,  Sylves- 
ter, Giglio  and  Bernardo  were  there.  Among 
other  exploits  Calichio  remarked  that  he  had  once 
printed  one  million  lire  for  a  baronial  family  re- 
siding at  Naples  in  Italy.  This  was  about  fif- 
teen years  back,  he  said,  when  his  father  was 
alive. 

"Sylvester  boasted  that  his  first  sentence  was 
for  five  years  in  the  reformatory  as  a  minor.  He 
ran  away  from  the  reformatory  in  company  with 
several  other  boys  and  got  into  the  horse-stealing 
business.  He  was  sentenced  several  times  for 
small  offenses  and  he  once  was  arrested  for 
carrying  concealed  weapons. 

"During  his  imprisonment  he  came  to  know  a 
certain  Terranova,  who  was  a  half-brother  of 
Morello,  and  they  became  fast  friends.     They 

140 


SOME  CONFESSIONS  141 

stole  horses  in  New  York  and  sold  them  in  other 
cities  at  reduced  prices ;  or  they  would  bring  the 
horses  to  friends  in  the  country  (Highland)  and 
receive  payment.  He  told  of  being  arrested  once 
when  with  Morello's  son  and  brother;  they  had 
thrown  a  bomb  into  a  store  in  Mott  Street. 
They  were  let  go  because  there  were  no  witnesses 
to  the  crime.  In  concluding  his  recitation  Syl- 
vester said: 

"  'One  night  I  went  with  the  Morello  brothers 
and  other  friends  into  a  hall  where  a  Jewish 
wedding  was  being  celebrated.  As  we  entered 
the  hall  we  recognized  two  policemen  who  had 
helped  us  before  in  our  jobs.  Our  idea  was  to 
steal  watches.  We  succeeded  in  stealing  about 
fifteen  watches  when  a  Jew  I  was  robbing  got 
onto  me.  He  grabbed  me  by  the  coat  and  called 
the  police.  The  policeman  knew  me  and  took 
my  part.  He  pushed  the  Jew  aside  and  told 
him  to  go  away.  The  policeman  said  he  knew 
me  to  be  a  fine  young  man  for  more  than  ten 
years.  The  policeman  told  the  Jew  he  was  lying 
and  that  if  he  said  any  more  about  the  matter 
he  would  be  put  under  arrest.  The  Jew  was 
crest-fallen,  but  went  on  dancing  all  the  same. 
As  we  came  outside,  I  gave  three  watches  to  the 


142        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY] 

policeman,  two  of  silver  and  one  of  gold.  I  dis- 
posed of  the  others  in  New  Jersey.  We  divided 
the  proceeds  equally  among  us/ 

"Then  Giglio  made  the  boast  that  the  police 
had  never  been  able  to  arrest  him.  He  had  been 
in  great  danger,  though,  he  said.  One  night  in 
the  winter  of  1906  he  went  to  Newburgh  to  steal 
a  horse  and  carriage.  While  running  away  with 
the  stolen  property  he  was  shot  at  twice.  Neither 
bullet  hit  him,  though,  he  said.  Two  months 
later  the  same  horse  and  carriage  were  sold  in 
Poughkeepsie  for  one  hundred  dollars. 

"Bernardo  had  nothing  to  relate  except  the 
innocent  amusement  of  having  stolen  fruit  in  his 
native  town.     The  others  grinned. 

"On  April  26th  or  27th  the  second  lot  of  Ca- 
lichio's  two-dollar  notes  were  ready.  They  to- 
talled fifteen  thousand  dollars  and  were  wrapped 
up  in  rags.  Giglio  and  Sylvester  took  them  to 
New  York. 

"Calichio  and  I  then  renewed  work  on  the  five- 
dollar  notes,  which  we  figured  on  finishing  about 
the  middle  of  May,  when  a  communication  from 
New  York  made  us  stop  again  on  the  five-dollar 
notes,  and  we  started  on  the  third  lot  of  Cali- 
chio's  two-dollar  notes.     During  the  month  of 


SOME  CONFESSIONS  143 

May,  I,  Calichio,  Sylvester,  Giglio  and  Bernardo 
all  had  a  hand  in  the  completion  of  this  third  lot 
of  two-dollar  notes,  which  amounted  to  $10,000; 
then,  too,  we  finished  up  by  the  end  of  May 
$14,700  of  the  five-dollar  notes.  During  this 
period  Calichio  received  his  wages  punctually, 
but  he  did  not  let  on  to  me. 

"When  the  work  had  been  completed  I  called 
Caterina  aside  and  told  her  that  I  was  going  to 
New  York  and  would  not  return  to  the  stone 
house,  as  I  did  not  intend  to  continue  at  that 
sort  of  work.  In  fact,  I  dismantled  the  press, 
piece  by  piece,  took  the  genuine  five-dollar  note 
that  was  used  for  comparison,  it  being  the  orig- 
inal from  which  the  plates  were  made,  and  said 
to  Giglio: 

"  'Don  Vincenzio,  I  am  going  to  New  York  to 
seek  rooms  and  will  see  Cecala  there;  I  am  go- 
ing because,  counting  this  last  batch,  I  have 
printed  about  $60,000  and  have  received  noth- 
ing for  my  labor.' 

"  'You  deserve  to  have  your  head  smashed  on 
a  rock,'  was  the  cheerful  reply.  'If  the  money 
is  not  yet  sold,  who  will  you  see  to  get  paid?' 

"  'Cecala.' 

'  'Cecala  is  not  in  New  York.     If  he  were,  I 


1U       THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

certainly  would  bring  him  this  last  batch  of 
money.  We  must  wait  until  my  brother-in-law 
comes.' 

"  'I  don't  care  whether  it  is  sold  or  not.  I 
am  in  a  miserable  condition  and  will  not  remain 
here.' 

"  'Do  as  you  like,  but  look  out,  though,  if  you 
do  any  harm  there  will  not  be  a  hair  left  of  you.' 

"  'I  want  to  go  about  my  own  business  and 
do  not  care  about  others.'  Thereupon,  I  took 
a  suit-case  with  a  few  rags  that  I  had  left  and 
went  on  foot  to  the  Highland  Railroad  station 
where  I  changed  the  five-dollar  bill  and  bought 
a  ticket  to  New  York.  Arriving  in  the  city  I 
went  directly  to  my  aunt's,  who  was  surprised 
to  see  me  so  poorly  clad  and  in  such  a  miserable 
condition.  I  told  her  that  I  had  had  a  quarrel 
with  my  employer  because  he  had  not  paid  me. 

"On  June  2nd,  while  walking  about  my  busi- 
ness, I  met  Cecala  at  Bleecker  and  Carmine 
Streets.  He  laughed  at  me,  shook  my  hand, 
and  inquired  why  I  had  not  remained  at  the  stone 
house  in  Highland  and  continued  the  work. 

"  'I  could  not  continue,'  I  replied,  'because  I 
was  treated  too  shabbily  there  by  the  others. 


SOME  CONFESSIONS  145 

And  why  should  I  continue  to  work  when  no 
word  had  come  to  us  from  New  York  for  more 
than  two  weeks  V 

"  'Well,  Don  Antonio,'  said  Cecala,  'I  will  fix 
all  your  affairs  so  that  Caterina  will  remain  in 
New  York,  for  you  and  Don  Peppe  must  con- 
tinue the  work.  The  man  who  made  the  plates 
has  been  working  on  another  set  of  Canadian 
notes,  not  like  the  first  that  we  printed,  but  of 
the  same  denomination,  five  dollars.' 

"  'Write  and  let  Caterina  come  now,'  I  said. 
'As  to  my  doing  more  work  for  you,  let's  talk 
about  that  later.' 

"  'It  is  not  necessary  to  write ;  I  will  telephone. 
Come  with  me.'  From  a  drug  store  at  Carmine 
and  Bleecker  Streets  Cecala  telephoned  to  High- 
land, or  rather  to  Cina's  house. 

"Cina's  wife  said  that  her  husband  had  gone 
with  Ignazio  (Lupo)  to  Newburgh  and  that  she 
would  tell  him  when  he  returned.  Coming  out 
of  the  drug  store  Cecala  handed  me  ten  dollars, 
saying: 

"  'Take  this  ten  dollars  and  find  rooms  for 
yourself.  I  will  provide  for  the  rest  later  when 
Caterina   comes   to-morrow   or   the   next   day. 


146        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Your  things  will  arrive  in  a  few  days.'  He  told 
me  to  keep  him  advised.  I  could  meet  him  at  a 
barber  shop  in  Carmine  Street,  he  said. 

"Not  seeing  anything  of  Caterina,  on  June 
4th  I  wrote  a  letter  to  Cina  at  Highland,  and 
requested  him  to  send  my  things  immediately 
and  to  give  Caterina  the  money  for  her  fare  to 
New  York. 

"Cina  received  my  letter  and  got  the  impres- 
sion from  it  that  I  was  going  to  tell  the  police, 
and  he  went  right  over  to  the  stone  house  to 
ship  my  furniture. 

"On  the  fifth  of  June,  in  the  evening,  Don 
Peppe  (Calichio)  came  to  my  aunt's  house  and 
there  told  me  that  he  had  run  away  from  the 
stone  house  with  Caterina  because  they  had 
threatened  to  kill  him.  He  said  that  the  threats 
were  made  by  Sylvester,  Giglio  and  Bernardo. 
Hearing  this  I  hastened  out  on  the  stoop  and 
saw  Caterina  all  trembling.  She  said:  'I  don't 
know  how  we  escaped — Don  Peppe  and  me.' 

"  'Why?' 

"  'Bernardo,  Sylvester  and  Giglio  wanted  to 
kill  us;  and  Bernardo  had  already  got  hold  of 
a  shovel  to  dig  a  hole.' 

"  'And  who  gave  you  the  money  for  the  fare?' 


SOME  CONFESSIONS  147 

"  'Lupo.' 

"  'How  much  did  he  give  you?' 

"  'He  gave  ten  dollars  to  Don  Peppe  in  the 
presence  of  Cina,  Uncle  Vincent,  and  the  other 
men,  whom  I  do  not  know,  and  he  gave  me  five 
dollars.' 

"  'Well,'  I  said,  'to-night  you  will  sleep  at  my 
brother's  home,  and  do  not  tell  him  any  stories 
nor  let  him  understand  the  circumstances  of  our 
trouble.  To-morrow  I  will  find  a  house.  Ce- 
cala  gave  me  ten  dollars  the  other  day.' 

"I  thanked  Calichio  for  getting  Caterina  out 
of  the  stone  house  to  New  York,  and  then  went 
away  leaving  Caterina  at  the  home  of  my 
brother." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

EVADING  THE  GANG  IN  VAIN 

"On  June  6th  I  rented  some  rooms  at  No. 
171  Thompson  Street  and  paid  for  a  month  in 
advance.  I  then  wert  to  the  barber  shop  to 
find  Cecala.  I  told  him  of  hiring  the  rooms  and 
that  I  needed  a  deposit  to  have  the  gas  turned 
on.  He  told  me  th^  t  he  would  look  out  for 
everything  in  a  day  or  so  when  he  had  the  time. 
He  showed  a  receipt  for  my  goods,  which  had 
been  shipped  from  Highland  the  day  before  and 
which  would  soon  arrive,  he  said.  He  gave  me 
five  dollars  with  which  to  pay  the  charges  on 
my  furniture  when  it  would  arrive.  When  I 
asked  him  how  I  was  to  get  food,  he  handed  me 
a  card  and  said  that  I  was  to  go  to  the  address 
and  say  that  he  sent  me  and  that  provisions 
would  be  furnished  me.  On  the  card  was  D. 
Milone,  No.  235  East  Ninety-seventh  Street. 

"  'Will  I  get  what  I  want  there?* 

148 


EVADING  THE  GANG  IN  VAIN      119 

"  'Certainly,'  Cecala  said.  'Just  mention  my 
name  and  all  will  be  well  with  you  there.' 

"After  arranging  with  an  express  company  to 
have  my  goods  taken  from  the  dock  to  the 
Thompson  Street  rooms,  I  went  to  the  MiJone 
address  and  asked  for  Cecala. 

"  'Who  is  this  Cecala?'  inquired  a  sJjffrt  man 
of  ruddy  complexion  and  stout  face. 

"  'Why,  don't  you  know  him?'  I  askf  \  'He 
gave  me  this  address  where  I  was  to  t  xne  and 
buy  groceries.' 

"  'Have  you  inquired  in  the  bank  downstairs?' 

"  'No.' 

"  'Go  and  see.' 

"I  went  down  to  the  bank  of  one  De  Luca 
and  found  a  barrel  containing  groceries  ad- 
dressed to  Luigi  Cosentino.  This  I  had  brought 
to  my  rooms  in  Thompson  Street. 

"  'You  must  pay  sixty  cents,'  said  the  banker, 
'right  away.'  And  Cecala  paid  the  money  for 
me. 

"Going  upstairs  again  Cecala  said  in  the  pres- 
ence of  Giglio  and  Sylvester: 

"  'Don  Antcnio,  we  must  continue  the  work. 
Not  in  that  place  (the  stone  house),  but  in  an- 
other farm  that  has  been  rented  by  Giglio  and 


150       THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

that  is  very  far  from  Highland.  We  will  not 
work  any  more  with  the  same  press  because  it  is 
not  very  good  as  to  impression.  We  must  buy 
a  new  press,  which  Calichio  is  negotiating  for 
now,  a  new  model.' 

"  'I  will  not  come  again/  I  replied,  'because  I 
have  found  work  as  a  compositor  and  I  am  to  go 
to  work  to-morrow.' 

"  'Don't  begin  to  make  trouble.  You  know 
all  our  secrets  now  and  we  can't  let  you  go.' 

"  'But  why  don't  you  let  Calichio  continue 
the  work?' 

"  'Calichio  is  no  good  at  the  press.  You  know 
of  what  he  is  capable.' 

"  'I  cannot  go,'  I  repeated. 

"  'Listen,  Don  Antonio,  I  promise  you  that 
you  will  not  work  much.  Print  at  least  the  other 
ten-thousand  sheets  of  paper  for  two-dollar  notes 
and  the  work  will  be  completed.  Then  we  will 
suspend  operations  for  the  summer,  and  will  be- 
gin again  in  the  Fall.' 

"  'Mr.  Cecala,  I  will  return  to  print  the  paper 
that  is  left,  but  you  must  give  me,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  August,  $400  because  I  want  to  re- 
turn to  Italy;  then  I  will  come  back  to  New 
York  in  November.    Are  you  satisfied?' 


EVADING  THE  GANG  IN  VAIN      151 

"  'Have  no  doubts  as  to  that.  By  the  first 
two  weeks  of  August  I  will  give  you  $500  and 
not  $400,  because  by  that  time  I  will  have  sold 
all  the  money.     But  will  you  return  to  America?' 

"  'Yes,  because  I  am  going  to  Italy  only  to 
arrange  family  affairs.' 

"Calichio  now  arrived  and  said  that  he  had 
found  the  party  who  wanted  to  sell  the  press, 
and  he  suggested  that  I  go  and  see  the  man.  At 
this  juncture  Giglio  interrupted  to  say  that  the 
press,  which  we  had  been  using,  had  been  broken 
up  and  thrown  into  the  woods  on  the  farm  that 
had  just  been  rented  in  his  name  for  the  new 
location  of  the  plant. 

"  'But,'  put  in  Calichio,  'is  that  farm  a  place 
that  is  at  all  likely  to  be  suspected?' 

"  'Certainly  not,'  said  Giglio,  'it  is  far  from 
Highland,  about  three  hours  over  the  road,  and 
is  situated  on  the  Hudson  River.  It  is  a  frame 
house  standing  by  itself  so  that  in  working  there 
will  be  no  noise  heard  by  neighbors.  And  there 
is  no  road  where  people  pass  by  the  house.' 

"  'You  mean,'  Cecala  interrupted,  'that  you 
can  work  without  fear  of  being  disturbed?' 

"  'Not  even  the  flies  will  disturb  us.' 

"  'Good,'  said  Cecala,  turning  to  me.     'Go  and 


152        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

see  this  Riso  (the  pressman)  and  see  if  he  really 
wants  to  sell  the  press/ 

"  'Why  should  I  go  and  not  some  one  else?' 

"  'You  are  of  the  trade  and  know  whether 
there  are  any  defects.' 

"  'And  if  he  asks  me  who  I  am,  what  shall  I 
answer?' 

"  'Tell  him  you  are  Cosentino  and  have  a  shop 
on  One  Hundred  and  Fortieth  Street.' 

"  'Why  don't  you  come  with  me?' 

"  'No,'  said  Cecala,  'I  will  wait  here.' 

"  'It  would  be  better  that  you  come  along. 
Two  heads  are  better  than  one.' 

"Cecala  was  persuaded  and  together  we  went 
to  the  printing  shop  to  look  over  the  presses. 
Riso,  the  pressman,  said  that  he  wanted  to  sell 
the  press  because  he  had  not  enough  work  to 
keep  it  occupied  and  was  short  fifty  dollars  to 
pay  off  the  mortgage.  He  explained  that  in 
order  to  sell  it  he  must  first  get  permission  from 
the  factory  people,  who  held  the  mortgage.  He 
bought  it  about  eight  months  previously. 

"A  price  of  $85  was  agreed  to. 

"  'But,'  queried  Riso,  'what  do  you  need  the 
press  for?' 


EVADING  THE  GANG  IN  VAIN      153 

"  'For  a  printing  shop,'  I  replied. 

"  'And  have  you  a  shop  now?' 

"  'Yes.' 

"'Where?' 

"I  gave  him  the  One  Hundred  and  Fortieth 
Street  address  suggested  by  Cecala  before  we 
entered  the  printing  shop. 

"Riso  assured  me  that  the  press  was  first  class 
and  would  turn  out  fine  work. 

"On  June  10th,  the  next  day,  the  press  was 
paid  for  and  carted  off  in  a  covered  wagon.  I 
had  taken  the  press  apart  without  arousing  sus- 
picion that  it  was  to  be  taken  on  a  long  jour- 
ney. The  parts  were  taken  off  because  of  the 
danger  of  leaving  them  on  the  press  body  while 
in  shipment.  On  the  sides  of  the  closed  wagon 
was  the  name  of  Antonio  Armato,  Bakery.  The 
man  who  drove  it  was  introduced  to  me  by  Giglio 
as  his  godfather.  Giglio  explained  that  the 
press  was  to  be  carted  on  godfather's  wagon  be- 
cause he  had  been  unable  to  get  an  express  wagon 
at  the  moment. 

"In  order  to  keep  up  the  bluff  before  Riso  I 
said  to  Giglio: 

"  'Well,  it  is  just  as  well.     You  know  where 


154        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

my  shop  is  and  can  have  this  man  take  the  press 
there.  I  will  remain  downtown  and  attend  to 
other  matters  while  you  take  the  press  uptown/ 
Cecala  squinted  at  me  admiringly. 

"On  the  13th  of  June  Cecala  informed  me  that 
I  was  to  be  ready  to  go  to  Highland  at  six  o'clock 
the  next  morning.  I  was  to  go  to  Cina's  house 
and  remain  there  a  day,  he  said,  and  then  I 
would  be  taken  to  the  new  farm.  He  told  me 
that  the  press  had  been  shipped  and  taken  to 
the  house  by  Sylvester,  who  had  returned  to  New 
York.  Cecala  also  said  that  he  had  given  Ca- 
lichio  ten  dollars  with  which  to  pay  the  fares 
and  that  I  was  to  meet  Don  Peppe  (Calichio) 
at  his  Jones  Street  house  early  the  next  morn- 
ing and  then  board  the  train  in  company  with 
him.  Money  would  be  forwarded  to  me  as  soon 
as  I  reached  Highland;  Cecala  had  none  with 
him  at  the  present. 

"  'I  hope  you  will  not  treat  me  as  you  did  be- 
fore,' I  said.     'Promise  to  pay  and  not  pay.' 

"'Have  no  doubt.  I  will  take  in  $200  to- 
night from  a  man  in  Brooklyn,  and  will  send 
you  ten  dollars  by  Giglio.' 

"Cecala  said  Giglio  was  in  New  York  then 
at  the  house  of  his  (Giglio's)  brother-in-law  in 


EVADING  THE  GANG  IN  VAIN      155 

Jackson  Street.  This  brother-in-law  had  mar- 
ried one  of  Cina's  sisters,  but  he  knew  nothing 
about  the  counterfeiting  scheme. 

"At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  14th 
I  went  to  Calichio's  house  and  found  him  pack- 
ing a  suit-case  with  inks  and  plates.  One  of 
the  sets  I  remember  was  the  Bank  of  Montreal 
design  with  a  baby  on  the  green  side,  marvel- 
ously  clear  zinc  plates.  Calichio  told  me  they 
were  to  be  used  for  making  the  new  Canadian 
five-dollar  notes. 

"  'When  are  they  to  be  printed?'  I  asked. 

"  'When  we  get  to  the  new  farm/ 

"I  told  Calichio  that  I  certainly  would  not 
print  any  of  them  at  this  season  and  he  suggested 
that  they  probably  were  to  be  printed  in  Novem- 
ber.    He  said: 

"  'They  will  probably  be  printed  in  Novem- 
ber, at  the  beginning  of  the  winter  season,  for 
now  the  waters  are  troubled.  The  police  is  mak- 
ing arrests  daily.' 

"He  placed  the  plates  in  the  suit-case  and  to- 
gether we  went  to  Weehawken  Ferry  and  ar- 
rived in  Highland  at  11  A.  M.  There  found 
Peppino  waiting  for  us  at  the  station  with  a 
carriage.     He    drove    to    his    brother's    house 


156       THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

(Cina's).  There  we  found  Uncle  Vincent  and 
Bernardo,  the  others  having  gone  to  Pough- 
keepsie  on  business  and  left  word  that  they  would 
return  by  evening.  After  lunch  I  played  with 
Cina's  children  while  Calichio,  Uncle  Vincent, 
Bernardo  and  Peppino  locked  themselves  into  a 
room  for  a  conference.  About  8  P.  M.  Salva- 
tor  Cina  returned  from  Poughkeepsie  with  Syl- 
vester and  immediately  ordered  his  brother  to 
prepare  the  horse  and  carriage  and  take  us  to 
the  'Third'  farm." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

CAUGHT   AGAIN! 

"About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  ar- 
rived, Calichio,  Bernardo,  Sylvester,  Peppino 
and  Cina,  at  the  'Third'  farm.  Peppino  re- 
turned immediately  from  the  'Third'  farm  to 
Cina's  house.  The  four  of  us  who  remained 
slept  on  straw,  there  being  no  mattresses.  About 
three  o'clock  the  next  afternoon  Cina  brought 
us  some  mattresses,  pillows  and  covers;  some 
food-stuffs  and  ten  quarts  of  wine.  Cina  re- 
marked that  this  was  a  splendid  place,  and  that 
no  one  could  disturb  us  there.  He  gave  the  fol- 
lowing orders: 

"Calichio  and  I  were  to  remain  in  the  house 
and  work.  Uncle  Vincent  would  watch  along 
the  railroad  track  to  see  if  any  strangers  came 
near.  About  noontime,  Uncle  Vincent  would 
come  in  and  do  the  cooking;  then  Bernardo, 
armed  with  revolver  and  rifle,  were  to  do  his 
turn  and  guard  the  farm.     He  was  to  be  helped 

157 


158        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

in  this  by  Giglio  and  Sylvester  whenever  they 
were  about.  Cina  said  that  if  Calichio  or  I 
wanted  to  have  our  mail  addressed  to  us  we 
must  tell  our  folks  and  friends  to  send  it  to 
20  Duane  Street,  Poughkeepsie,  where  Uncle 
Turi  (the  well-dressed  man  referred  to  before 
in  this  story)  had  opened  a  grocery  store.  Cina 
assurec  me  that  news  would  be  brought  to  us 
daily  from  the  outside  and  that  a  horse  and  car- 
riage had  been  brought  for  the  express  purpose 
of  going  to  and  from  Poughkeepsie  and  bring- 
ing groceries. 

"Calichio  made  the  press  ready  and  we  began 
work  on  the  fourth  batch  of  the  two-dollar 
notes.  There  was  no  interruption  all  that  day 
but,  on  the  next  morning,  June  17th  (1909), 
Calichio  declared  he  wanted  to  leave  for  New 
York  because  he  had  had  a  bad  dream  during 
the  night  and  there  was  news  from  his  family. 

"Bernardo  accompanied  Calichio  to  the  sta- 
tion and  I  and  Uncle  Vincent  remained  alone, 
walking  about  the  grounds  in  front  of  the  house. 

"About  11  A.  M.  Uncle  Vincent  was  pre- 
paring maccaroni  for  the  noonday  lunch  when 
two  well-dressed  men  and  prosperous  appearing, 
driving  a  horse  and  carriage,  stopped  in  front 


CAUGHT  AGAIN!  159 

of  the  house.  One  man  was  about  fifty,  the 
other  about  thirty.  They  tied  the  horse  to  a 
tree  and  came  over  to  me,  addressing  me  in 
English. 

"  'Are  you  Italian?' 

"  'Yes,'  I  replied. 

"  'Have  you  rented  this  farm?' 

"  'No.' 

"  'Who  is  the  owner?' 

"  'A  man  named  Giglio.' 

"  'Where  can  I  see  this  Giglio?' 

"  'In  New  York.  His  wife  is  sick,'  replied 
Uncle  Vincent. 

"  'When  does  he  return?' 

"  'We  don't  know.' 

"  'We  had  come  to  buy  this  farm  and  would 
like  to  look  inside.  Will  you  permit  us  to  en- 
ter and  see?' 

"  'No,'  was  Uncle  Vincent's  instant  answer. 
'We  are  not  the  proprietors  and  are  here  to  guard 
the  fruit.  Return  some  other  day  when  Giglio 
is  here  and  he  will  give  you  permission.' 

"The  men  assured  us  that  they  would  get  the 
permission  to  enter  the  house  and  drove  away. 
When  they  were  gone  Uncle  Vincent  with  a  pale 
face  said  to  me: 


160        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"  'Don  Antonio,  I  feel  sure  these  men  are 
detectives.  Should  they  return  there  will  be 
others  with  them  and  they  will  arrest  us.  In 
case  we  fall  like  mice  in  a  trap  don't  say  who 
you  know.  Otherwise  we  are  all  ruined.  If 
they  find  the  press  we  must  insist  that  we  found 
it  in  the  house,  and  don't  know  to  whom  it  be- 
longs. Let  us  go  and  burn  what  was  printed 
yesterday  in  order  to  avoid  suspicion.' 

"  'I  am  not  going  back,'  I  answered.  'I  am 
going  through  the  woods  to  the  railroad  tracks 
to  the  station  and  then  back  to  New  York.' 

"  'If  you  go  away  I  will  not  let  any  one  come 
near  the  house.  And  if  those  two  men  return 
I  will  kill  them.' 

"  'Do  as  you  like,'  I  replied.  So  saying  I 
took  my  hat  and  jumper  and  walked  along  the 
railroad  tracks  for  about  an  hour  until  I  came 
to  the  Highland  station. 

"I  was  peacefully  at  home  in  Thompson 
Street  on  June  20th  when  Cecala,  Cina  and  Syl- 
vester arrived.  As  soon  as  Cecala  saw  me  he 
said: 

"  'You  were  very  much  afraid.  You  must 
not  be  so  frightened.  The  people  who  came  to 
the  farm  were  men  of  a  good  sort  and  not  de- 


CAUGHT  AGAIN!  161 

tectives.  But  you  did  well  in  not  letting  them 
enter  the  house.' 

"  'Since  I  am  away,'  I  replied  to  Cecala,  'do 
not  talk  of  continuing  the  work.  I  will  not  re- 
turn. I  don't  care  to  fall  into  a  trap  alone, 
and  you  all  out  of  it.' 

"  'Better  if  we  remain  out.  We  can  help 
you.' 

"  'Bother  the  help.  Leave  me  in  peace.  I 
want  to  attend  to  my  own  affairs  and  be  at  rest.' 

"  'No.  Now  that  we  have  started  to  print  we 
must  finish  the  paper  that  is  left  unprinted.' 

"  'I  will  not  return  to  the  farm.  Make  Ca- 
lichio  continue  the  work.' 

"'You  must  return  and  complete  the  work/ 
said  Cina  with  arrogance. 

"After  about  five  minutes  of  silence  Cina  again 
did  the  talking.     He  said: 

"  'Very  well,  we  will  not  return  to  that  farm 
but  in  order  to  have  you  content  we  will  draw 
up  a  contract  and  you  will  appear  as  Luigi 
Cosentino,  the  proprietor  of  the  second  farm. 
Then  you  may  return  and  continue  the  work 
without  danger.  I  will  telephone  to-night  and 
have  the  press  brought  to  the  stone  house.  The 
people  nearby  the  stone  house  have  seen  you  be- 


162        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

fore,  and  when  I  tell  them  that  the  place  is  now 
yours  they  will  not  have  any  suspicion.' 

"  'I  want  to  find  work  here  in  the  city.  I  have 
worked  for  you  for  seven  months  and  have  re- 
ceived only  forty  dollars  in  all  for  it.' 

"  'Well,'  said  Cecala,  'but  I  will  give  you 
five  hundred  dollars  as  soon  as  you  have  finished 
this  last  job.     Is  that  satisfactory?' 

"  'Surely.' 

"I  figured  that  if  I  got  the  five  hundred  dol- 
lars I  could  return  to  Italy  and  not  have  any 
more  bother,  and  so  I  consented  to  go  back  and 
complete  the  work.  Cecala  and  Cina  went  with 
me  to  a  notary  public  in  Elizabeth  Street  and  a 
contract  or  lease  of  the  second  farm  was  drawn 
up.  I  appeared  and  signed  as  Luigi  Cosentino. 
The  person  from  whom  I  rented  the  farm  was 
one  whom  I  had  never  seen  before.  He  was 
called  Salvatore  Galasso.  The  notary  gave  a 
copy  of  the  paper  to  me  and  another  to  Galasso, 
and  Cecala  paid  the  charges. 

"On  June  24th  (1909)  I  and  Calichio  began 
work  anew  on  the  second  farm,  at  the  stone  house, 
and  continued  until  we  had  finished  $13,500  more 
of  the  two-dollar  notes.  When  this  amount  was 
printed,  Calichio  went  to  New  York  and  left 


CAUGHT  AGAIN!  163 

me  with  Uncle  Vincent,  Bernardo  and  Giglio 
to  cut  to  regular  size  the  two-dollar  notes  and 
count  them  and  pack  them  in  bundles  of  100 
each.  This  work  was  done  during  the  month 
of  July. 

"On  the  28th  or  the  29th  of  July  Cina  arrived 
and  stopped  all  the  work,  saying  that  operations 
were  suspended  for  the  summer.  The  last  lot 
printed,  he  said,  was  to  be  divided  among  fifteen 
of  us.  Cecala  had  left  about  twenty  days  be- 
fore, and  as  no  word  had  been  received  from  him 
it  was  supposed  that  he  had  been  arrested. 
Turning  to  me  Cina  said: 

"  'You,  Don  Antonio,  divide  up  the  money 
for  fifteen  persons,  and  see  what  will  come  to 
each.  Each  can  sell  for  himself  or  exchange 
them.' 

"  'I  will  not  take  any  of  them,  that  is  cer- 
tain,' I  replied,  'because  I  have  no  friends  to 
whom  I  can  sell  them.  And  what  is  more,  I 
will  risk  imprisonment.' 

"  'That  means  that  you  will  leave  your  por- 
tion to  me,  and  in  time  I  will  sell  it  for  you,' 
said  Cina. 

"  'I  don't  want  to  know  whether  it  is  left  to 
you  or  somebody  else.     Only,  you  will  bear  in 


164-        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

mind  that  together  with  Cecala  you  have  prom- 
ised $500  with  which  I  was  to  go  to  Italy  when 
this  work  was  completed.' 

"  'Well,  if  Cecala  returns  and  brings  good 
money,  you  will  be  given  what  was  promised  you. 
In  the  meantime,  dismantle  the  press  and  give 
me  the  plates,  for  I  must  save  them.  Put  them 
in  a  box  together  with  the  ink  that  was  not 
used.' 

"Without  losing  any  time  I  took  some  boards 
and  made  a  box  and  put  into  it  the  plates  for 
the  two-dollar  notes,  check  letter  'C,'  plate  num- 
ber 1110;  also  the  five-dollar  copper  plates,  and 
the  second  Canadian  note  plates,  which  had  not 
been  used,  and  some  cans  of  ink.  I  nailed  a 
cover  over  the  box,  and  in  the  presence  of  Uncle 
Vincent,  Bernardo,  Giglio  and  Cina,  I  gave  the 
box  to  Cina  and  he  said: 

"  'We  hope  to  open  this  box  in  November  if 
things  go  well.' 

"The  first  Canadian  plates — those  that  had 
been  used  together  with  the  first  two-dollar  note 
plates,  Check  letter  'A,'  plate  number  1111 — were 
wrapped  in  some  rags  and  buried  in  a  hole  on 
the  farm  by  Bernardo.  The  hole  was  about  two 
hundred  feet  from  the  house  in  the  woods  back 


CAUGHT  AGAIN!  165 

of  the  house.  Then  all  the  ink  that  remained 
outside  was  buried  in  the  woods  back  of  the 
house;  so  were  all  the  hundred  thousand  pieces 
of  paper  of  bad  prints  and  proofs,  etc.,  buried 
there.  The  inks,  though,  were  put  in  a  macaroni 
box  before  being  put  into  the  ground. 

"I  dismantled  the  press,  taking  it  into  four 
parts,  and  packed  it  up  in  boards.  At  six  o'clock 
that  evening  Peppino  Cina  came  with  a  truck, 
pulled  by  a  team  of  horses,  and  the  press  was 
loaded  onto  the  truck ;  also  the  box  with  the  plates 
put  on,  and  the  whole  business  was  covered  with 
hay.  Then  Uncle  Vincent,  Bernardo  and 
Giglio  were  driven  off  toward  Cina's  farm  by 
Peppino  Cina.  Cina  and  I  took  another  road  in 
a  carriage  and  went  to  his  farm. 

"Arriving  at  Cina's  farm  at  about  11:30  that 
night  we  sat  down  and  ate  heartily  and  drank 
wine.  Towards  the  end  of  the  meal  Cina  gave 
Peppino  (his  brother),  Giglio  and  Bernardo 
each  $800  of  the  counterfeit  money,  saying  to 
them: 

"  'Boys,  the  work  is  done.  From  to-morrow 
on  each  can  attend  to  his  own  business.  You 
can  take  this  money  and  exchange  it  yourselves. 

"  'If  we  are  going  to  continue,  and  if  we  need 


166        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

you,  I  will  advise  you,  paying  you  double  what 
you  can  earn  anywhere  else.' 

"Hearing  this  I  said  to  Cina: 

"  'See  if  you  can't  give  me  some  money  with 
which  I  may  get  to  New  York  to-morrow,  with- 
out my  looking  around  for  Cecala  or  anybody 
else;  and  also  keep  it  in  mind  that  by  August 
15th  I  get  the  $500  so  that  I  can  go  to  Italy.  If 
the  money  is  not  given  me  I  will  endeavor  to 
get  my  passage  to  Italy  and  return  in  Novem- 
ber.' 

"  'Have  no  doubts  about  the  money,'  said  Cina. 
'To-morrow  I  will  give  you  five  dollars.  The 
money  that  has  been  promised  you  will  be  yours. 
In  fact,  I  will  bring  it  to  your  house  as  soon  as 
we  have  it  ready,  as  we  know  your  address  in 
New  York.' 

"Next  morning  Cina  gave  me  five  dollars,  and 
drove  me  to  the  Highland  station,  where  I 
boarded  the  eight  o'clock  train  for  New  York. 

"After  being  in  the  city  three  days  I  found 
employment  in  a  printing  shop  in  Brooklyn  and 
worked  there  as  an  honest  man,  putting  away 
all  thoughts  of  evil  and  tried  to  forget  what  I 
had  been  through  in  Highland  for  the  past  nine 
months. 


CAUGHT  AGAIN!  167 

"On  August  12,  1909,  I  read  in  an  Italian 
newspaper  about  the  arrest  of  some  persons  who 
passed  some  of  the  notes  printed  by  me.  Think- 
ing that  some  one  might  mention  my  name,  I 
wrote  a  letter  to  Cina,  addressed  to  No.  20  Duane 
Street,  Poughkeepsie,  informing  him  that  as  I 
had  not  seen  any  one  up  to  the  present,  and  had 
not  got  what  was  promised  me,  I  had  decided  to 
leave  for  Italy  on  August  15th. 

"Then  I  remained  in  Brooklyn  working,  with- 
out the  gang  knowing  my  whereabouts.  My  em- 
ployment for  this  period  was  in  the  printing  shop 
of  Matteo  Vestuto. 

"One  Sunday  in  September  I  met  Calichio 
on  the  street.  He  told  me  that  he  was  going 
to  my  house  to  get  a  suit  of  clothes  that  had 
been  sent  down  from  the  stone  house  with  my 
furniture. 

"  'Don  Peppe,'  said  I,  'Caterina  is  at  home 
and  she  will  give  you  the  suit  which  was  put 
away.  If  you  see  any  of  the  Gentlemen  don't 
say  that  you  saw  me,  because  I  have  written 
them  that  I  am  in  Italy.' 

"  'I  have  not  seen  them  any  more,'  replied 
Calichio.  'Neither  do  I  want  to  see  them,  after 
what  I  have  been  through.     Bear  in  mind,  Don 


168        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Antonio,  that  I  have  not  yet  received  all  the 

money  that  is  coming  to  me,  but ,  if 

they  come  again  to  me,  I  know  what  to  tell 

them .'     He  went  off  in  a  very  angry 

mood. 

"On  the  16th  of  November,  1909,  I  read  in 
an  Italian  newspaper  of  the  arrest  of  Giuseppe 
Morello,  Antonio  Cecala,  Domenico  Milone, 
Luciana  Maddi,  Giuseppe  Boscarini  and  Leo- 
lina  Vasi.  They  were  all  put  under  bail  of 
from  seven  to  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  Three 
days  later  I  read  in  the  newspapers  that  all  these 
'gentlemen,'  whom  I  knew,  were  released  on  bail, 
and  were  at  liberty  awaiting  trial. 

"I  became  frightened,  thinking  that  these  fel- 
lows might  think  that  I  had  said  something  to 
the  police  as  they  knew  I  was  dissatisfied  with 
the  treatment  they  had  given  me.  Losing  no 
time  I  packed  my  things  and  went  to  live  with 
an  American  family  in  Dominick  Street." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

PINCHING  THE  GREENHORN 

"I  had  been  at  this  place  about  a  month  and 
a  half  when,  on  the  night  of  January  4th,  1910, 
about  eight  o'clock,  six  men  came  into  the  house 
and,  motioning  me  not  to  move,  declared  that 
I  and  Caterina  were  under  arrest. 

"  'But  who  are  you?'  I  asked  in  Italian. 

"  'We  are  government  officers/  one  of  them 
replied  in  Italian,  and  he  showed  me  his  shield. 

"  'Well,  the  place  is  at  your  disposal,'  I  said, 
sitting  down  on  a  chair  and  smoking  my  pipe, 
feeling  quite  sure  of  myself. 

"When  they  had  finished  searching  the  rooms 
and  us  personally  they  brought  Caterina  and  I 
to  the  office  of  the  Federal  Secret  Service 
(United  States  Secret  Service)  and  we  were 
taken  to  the  head  of  the  service,  a  Mr.  William 
J.  Flynn.  To  him  I  had  no  courage  to  deny 
what  I  had  done  and  confessed  all.  I  assumed 
all   the   responsibility   for   Caterina,   and   told 

169 


170        THE  BARREL'  MYSTERY 

everything  without  any  thought  of  getting  off 
without  punishment.  Following  my  arrest  the 
Secret  Service  men  arrested  Cina,  Giglio,  Uncle 
Salvatore,  Sylvester  and  Lupo.  On  January 
26th,  1910,  Ignazio  Lupo,  Giuseppe  Morello, 
Antonio  Cecala,  Salvatore  Palermo,  Giuseppe 
Calichio  and  Nick  Sylvester  appeared  before  the 
Judge  of  the  United  States  Court  to  answer  the 
indictment  of  making  and  passing  counterfeit 
money. 

"I  appeared  before  the  jury  in  the  Federal 
Court  as  a  witness,  repeating  what  I  had  con- 
fessed to  the  Secret  Service  men.  I  did  not  con- 
tradict myself  on  cross-examination  when  the 
defense  tried  to  show  that  I  was  a  Calabrian 
bandit  and  had  come  to  America  for  the  purpose 
of  joking  with  the  law  and  justice,  and  that  I 
was  telling  these  'stories'  and  thus  having  eight 
innocent  and  perfect  gentlemen  condemned. 

"I  was  not  disturbed  at  the  assault  made  upon 
my  character  by  the  ignorant  Italian  press,  who 
through  libels  and  threats  of  many  kinds  tried 
to  shake  my  determination.  I  only  laughed 
when  I  read  and  heard  of  those  things. 

"The  Black-Hand  crowd  should  be  destroyed. 
The  one  great  blow  that  started  the  downfall 


PINCHING  THE  GREENHORN     171 

of  this  murderous  band  of  outlaws  has  been 
dealt  by  William  J.  Flynn,  when  he  sent  to 
prison  the  arch-bandits  Lupo  and  Morello,  and 
the  lesser  evils,  Cecala,  Cina,  Giglio,  etc. 

"My  final  word  here  is  that  my  purpose  in 
giving  testimony  before  the  Secret  Service  was 
not  done  to  have  eight  fathers  of  families  con- 
demned, but  for  the  purpose  of  removing  from 
among  us  eight  Sicilian  criminals  who  horrified 
and  preyed  upon  honest  men  under  the  leader- 
ship of  murderers  of  the  worst  type  that  are  a 
menace  to  civilization. 

"  ( Signed)     Antonio  Viola  Comito." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR 

There  are  characters  in  this  story  of  Comito's 
of  whom  he  never  got  a  glimpse  until  the  case 
came  to  trial.  There  are  still  others  involved  of 
whom  he  never  even  heard;  in  fact,  not  a  few 
big  fish  are  in  the  net  of  the  Secret  Service  whose 
names  will  probably  never  be  revealed  to  the 
public.  This  circumstance  does  not  prevent  me, 
however,  from  surrounding  Comito's  statement 
with  certain  additional  facts  that  may  serve  to 
illuminate  the  plan  followed  by  Lupo  and 
Morello  in  building  up  their  sinister  organiza- 
tion. 

It  often  happens  that  disputes  occur  among 
the  different  elements  of  the  Italian  criminals 
in  New  York  city  and  in  other  parts  of  this 
countiy.  For  instance,  the  Neapolitan  element 
deals  almost  exclusively  in  the  traffic  of  women. 
Sometimes  this  business  is  invaded  by  a  hostile 
group  from  among  the  Sicilian  element.     In- 

172 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR     173 

variably  quarrels  result  and  the  disputes  nearly 
always  end  in  a  shooting  or  a  stabbing  affair. 

It  is  well  known  to  the  Service  that  the  quar- 
rels of  the  Italian  criminals  among  themselves 
are  settled  without  the  help  of  the  police  when- 
ever this  is  at  all  possible.  When  a  gang  mem- 
ber is  wounded,  secrecy  requires  that  no  am- 
bulance be  called  or  a  doctor  summoned  who 
is  not  a  friend  of  the  gang.  This  precaution  is 
easily  appreciated  when  one  comes  to  think  that 
a  call  for  an  ambulance  would  require  the  pres- 
ence of  a  policeman  and  a  public  report  being 
made  of  the  affair.  Again,  should  a  doctor,  who 
is  not  known  to  the  gang,  be  called  in,  he  is  re- 
quired to  make  a  record  of  the  occurrence  and 
report  any  suspicious  injury  to  the  police.  If 
there  is  a  death  the  coroner  must  needs  be  noti- 
fied. To  avoid  entanglement  and  trouble  with 
the  authorities  the  various  gangs  have  impressed 
in  their  service  a  physician  or  two  who  may  be 
relied  upon  to  bind  up  the  wounds  and  keep 
the  affair  a  secret.  Many  murders  are  in  this 
way  covered  up  and  escape  the  attention  of  the 
police  and  the  public. 

There  was  a  man  at  the  trial  of  the  counter- 
feiters who  was  unknown  to  Comito.     Upon  this 


174        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY; 

man's  testimony  Morello  expected  to  prove  that 
he  was  ill  in  the  house  during  the  period  that 
he  was  actually  out  and  around  and  very  active 
in  the  counterfeiting  scheme. 

Dr.  Salvatore  Romano  is  the  man.  The  doc- 
tor perjured  himself  and  testified  to  please  Mo- 
rello, whose  vengeance  he  feared. 

After  being  indicted  by  the  Federal  Grand 
Jury,  we  were  able  to  get  a  statement  from  Dr. 
Romano.  Incidentally  this  statement  disclosed 
the  method  whereby  Morello  and  Lupo  gathered 
their  first  money  by  sending  "Black-Hand"  let- 
ters to  countrymen  who  were  suspected  of  hav- 
ing money,  or  who  could  in  any  way  be  coerced 
into  being  useful  to  the  gang. 

Dr.  Romano's  cross-examination  follows: 

Q.  Tell  us,  doctor,  from  the  beginning,  how 
you  happened  to  get  mixed  up;  start  from  the 
time  you  knew  Mr.  Morello. 

A.  I  met  him  in  this  country.  He  was  liv- 
ing m  East  One  Hundred  and  Seventh  Street; 
we  were  living  at  East  One  Hundred  and  Sixth 
Street.  He  comes  from  the  same  town  that  my 
grandmother  and  mother  hail  from  in  Sicily — 
Corleone — and  while  I  was  studying  in  my  third 
year  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    175 

at  Columbia,  my  folks  received  a  letter  from  a 
"Black-Hand"  Society. 

Q.    Who  received  it? 

A.     My  mother. 

Q.  She  knew  Morello  how  long  previous  to 
this? 

A.  She  had  known  him  on  the  other  side; 
never  had  anything  to  do  with  him  here. 

Q.  About  when  was  it  she  got  this  "Black- 
Hand"  letter? 

A.  Seven  years  ago;  I  was  a  third-year  stu- 
dent in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 

Q.     What  was  the  substance  of  the  letter? 

A.  The  substance  of  the  letter  was  that  un- 
less a  certain  amount  of  money  was  paid  they 
would  kill  me.  Naturally,  my  folks  did  not  tell 
me  anything  at  all  about  it  for  fear  that  I  would 
get  excited,  neglect  my  studies,  and  so  fail  in 
my  examinations.  The  folks  kept  the  thing 
quiet  for  a  few  days.  The  "Black  Handers" 
also  said  that  if  anything  were  told  to  the  police 
authorities,  the  murder  would  take  place  anyway 
— money  or  no  money.  You  see,  my  father  was 
not  here.  I  was  a  young  man,  my  brother  was 
a  small  boy,  and  my  family  did  not  know  what 
to  do  at  the  time.     My  grandmother,  though, 


176        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

knew  this  man  Morello  to  be  mixed  up  with  peo- 
ple of  questionable  character,  and  so  she  went 
to  him  or  he  happened  to  meet  her  ( I  don't  know 
which) ;  anyway,  she  confided  the  thing  to  Mo- 
rello. He  said,  "All  right,  don't  get  excited; 
they  don't  kill  people  off  all  at  once.  Wait  un- 
til you  get  another  letter.  Then  we  will  see  if 
we  can  find  out  the  party  who  writes  those  let- 
ters. 

Finally,  another  letter  was  written.  Then  a 
third,  and  a  fourth  letter  came.  Morello  always 
took  the  letters  under  the  pretext  of  studying 
the  handwriting  and  to  find  out  the  origin  of 
the  letter.  Eventually,  he  found  out  the  origin 
of  the  letter,  he  said  and — 

Q.     What  was  the  origin? 

A.  Never  found  out.  He  just  said  that  he 
had  found  out  that  they  were  willing  to  settle 
for  $1,000,  but  that  he  would  pay  $100  and  that 
he  would  make  sure  they  returned  the  money 
to  him  after  they  found  out  who  he  was;  he  said 
that  we  need  not  worry  any  more. 

Q.     Did  you  pay  the  $100? 

A.  No.  Morello  offered  to  pay  the  $100 
himself  and  expected  to  get  it  back.  He  said: 
"I  will  pay  and  see  that  they  return  it  to  me." 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    177 

Q.     Who  would  return  it  ? 

A.  Those  people  would  return  the  money 
again  to  him. 

Q.  He  said  that  he  would  pay  the  money 
and  that  he  would  get  it  back  from  the  Black 
Handers  ? 

A.  Yes.  Then  the  whole  thing  quieted  down 
and  naturally  my  people  thought  they  were  un- 
der obligations  to  this  man  Morello.  And  then 
when  the  danger  was  over  my  folks  told  me 
about  it  and  remarked  about  what  a  terrible  thing 
we  had  escaped. 

About  three  or  four  months  later,  Morello 
came  around  and  said  to  my  mother: 

Q.     Did  you  hear  him? 

A.     No.     She  told  me. 

(Continuing)  "I  have  a  notion  to  get  mar- 
ried. I'm  in  with  a  woman  who  has  a  baby  as 
the  result  of  our  relations.  Now  that  I  want 
to  get  married,  I  want  to  break  off  this  rela- 
tion, and  if  it  is  not  inconvenient  to  you  I  would 
like  to  bring  this  baby,  this  little  girl,  to  your 
house  until  everything  is  arranged." 

Q.     That  is  the  illegitimate  child? 

A.     She  could  walk;  was  over  one  year  old. 

Q.     Who  was  the  woman? 


178        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

A.     I  do  not  know. 

Q.     At  that  time  he  lived  on  Chrystie  Street? 

A.  No.  I  understand  he  had  a  restaurant. 
Of  course,  my  folks  said  that  it  was  no  trouble 
for  them.  There  were  three  or  four  women  in 
the  household,  and  it  would  be  no  trouble  for 
them  to  take  care  of  the  little  child. 

Q.  All  the  time  you  thought  that  you  were 
under  obligations  to  him? 

A.    Yes;  just  for  that  thing. 

Q.    Don't  you  know  who  the  woman  was? 

A.    No ;  never  saw  her. 

Q.     Sure  you  didn't? 

A.    No. 

Q.     Do  you  know  her? 

A.  No,  she  was  a  Sicilian.  I  don't  know  her 
personally. 

Q.     Is  she  living? 

A.     I  imagine  she  is. 

Q.  What  was  her  name?  What  was  she 
called? 

A.  Didn't  know  at  all.  Probably  my  grand- 
mother would  know. 

Q.  Was  this  after  or  before  the  barrel  mur- 
der? 

A.     I  think  the  barrel  murder  was  after  that. 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    179 

Q.     He  lived  on  Chrystie  Street  at  that  time? 

A.  Yes.  And  so  the  baby  was  brought  to 
our  house  and  we  took  care  of  it,  a  nice  little 
baby.  Nothing  happened  at  all — no  disturbance. 
They  came  around  to  our  house  about  once  a 
week  to  see  the  baby.  I  kept  on  studying; 
never  bothered  my  head  about  anything  at  all. 
I  went  out  early  in  the  morning  and  came  back 
late;  never  bothered  much  with  the  affairs  of 
the  family.  That  baby  died.  First  it  got  the 
measles,  then  bronchial  pneumonia.  It  was  a 
little  over  two  years  old  when  it  died. 

Q.     Did  Morello  marry  this  woman? 

A.  The  woman  he  married  is  his  present  wife. 
He  had  got  her  from  the  other  side.  The  sis- 
ter (Morello's)  had  gone  to  the  other  side  and 
arranged  for  this  marriage.  So  nothing  hap- 
pened until  after  I  was  graduated.  Then  these 
people  began  to  call  on  me  as  a  doctor. 

Q.  He  then  lived  in  East  One  Hundred  and 
Seventh  Street? 

A.  I  think  in  East  One  Hundred  and  Sev- 
enth Street,  and  he  began  to  call  on  me;  and 
then  the  brother-in-law  and  then  cousin,  etc., 
called. 

Q.     Who  is  his  brother-in-law? 


180        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

A.  He  has  three  brothers-in-law,  Lupo, 
Lima  and  Salima. 

Q.  Which  one  of  his  brothers-in-law  did  you 
treat? 

A.     I  treated  all  three  of  them. 

Q.  Are  Lima  and  Salima  in  this  country 
now? 

A.     Yes,  in  New  York  City. 

Q.     And  did  you  treat  other  relatives? 

A.  I  treated  all  their  relatives,  and  all  free 
of  charge.  They  would  call  me;  I  would  ex- 
amine them,  prescribe,  etc.,  but  I  got  no  pay. 

Q.     Did  you  ever  ask  them  for  any? 

A.    No. 

Q.    Why  not? 

A.  On  account  of  the  obligations;  also  the 
familiarity.  Right  from  the  start  I  thought  that 
I  was  doing  a  wise  thing  not  to  ask  for  money 
for  my  services. 

Q.  What  did  you  know  about  Morello  about 
that  time? 

A.  My  folks  had  told  him  all  about  those  let- 
ters and  he  had  fixed  it  all  up;  we  had  no  dis- 
turbance because  we  were  under  his  protection. 

Q.  Did  you  know  that  you  were  under  his 
protection? 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    181 

A.     I  knew  as  well  as  the  family  did. 

Q.  What  protection  did  you  think  that  he 
could  give  you? 

A.  Receiving  no  disturbance  from  the  "Black 
Handers." 

Q.  Did  you  know  that  he  was  connected  with 
the  "Black  kanders"  then? 

A.  I  did  not  know  that  he  was  a  "Black 
Hander,"  but  I  knew  from  the  fact  that  he  had 
arranged  everything  that  he  must  have  known 
something  about  these  people. 

Thus  I  became  the  regular  physician  for  these 
people  and  never  got  any  pay.  In  the  mean- 
time I  tried  to  get  as  much  hospital  experience 
as  I  could  and  get  out  of  New  York,  because, 
if  a  man  goes  out  of  New  York  to  a  strange 
place  without  any  experience — 

Q.     Why  did  you  want  to  leave  New  York? 

A.  Not  because  I  was  afraid,  not  because 
they  were  doing  anything  to  me,  but  because  I 
was  tired  of  doing  work  for  nothing;  I  never 
could  put  any  money  in  the  bank. 

The  whole  number  of  relatives,  babies  and 
patients,  amounted  to  about  sixty.  It  would  not 
be  one  day,  but  the  next  day,  and  all  the  time 
they  were  on  my  hands.    And  I  got  no  pay. 


182        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

My  mother  was  in  the  same  position.  My 
mother  is  a  midwife.  I  tried  to  get  hospital  ex- 
perience, and  as  soon  as  I  was  in  the  position 
to  leave  New  York  I  departed,  and  I  have  never 
heard  from  him  at  all  except  when  I  received 
letters  from  my  mother  who  told  me  that  they 
kept  on  frequenting  the  house. 

Q.  What  was  the  interview  you  had  with 
Commissioner  Wood? x  And  when  did  you  have 
that  interview? 

A.  That  was  four  or  five  years  before  I  left 
New  York.  The  main  thing  he  wanted  to  know 
was  whether  I  knew  these  people  well  enough 
to  tell  stories.  Whether  I  could  tell  him  that 
these  people  were  "Black  Handers"? 

I  had  read  in  the  newspapers  that  they  had 

i  Commissioner  Wood  was  at  the  time  referred  to  here  the 
Deputy  Commissioner  of  Police  in  charge  of  the  Detective  Bu- 
reau of  New  York  under  Theodore  Bingham.  It  was  Wood  who 
sent  Lieutenant  Joseph  Petrosino  to  Italy  on  the  mission,  in  the 
carrying  out  of  which  the  Lieutenant  was  assassinated.  In  refer- 
ence" to  this  murdering  of  Petrosino,  who  was  the  man  who  went 
to  Sing  Sing  and  got  information  from  DePriema,  which  led  to 
the  identifying  of  the  man  murdered  and  found  in  the  barrel,  I 
wish  to  refer  the  reader  back  to  that  part  of  Cbmito's  statement 
where  Comito  tells  of  his  visit  to  Morello's  house  in  East  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth  Street,  and  especially  to  take  note  of 
the  reference  there  made  by  Comito  to  "Michele,  the  Calabrian," 
and  the  conversation  that  took  place  between  Morello  and  Cecala 
concerning  the  Calabrian.  Then  couple  this  with  the  reference 
made  again  to  the  Calabrian  by  Lupo  (Page  113)  in  paying 
Michele's  fare  to  Italy. 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR     183 

been  in  trouble  with  the  law ;  but  they  had  treated 
me  fairly  well  and  I  said  nothing  against  these 
people.  Commissioner  Wood  wanted  to  know 
about  these  letters,  and  naturally  I  did  not 
tell. 

Q.     Did  you  treat  Cecala? 

A.     No,  I  never  treated  him. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  treat  any  of  the  defendants 
besides  Morello? 

A.  No.  Lupo,  Morello  and  Palermo.  Pa- 
lermo was  operated  on  for  something.  At  the 
time  I  was  called  in  to  give  the  ether. 

Q.  What  was  Morello's  business  after  he 
gave  up  the  grocery? 

A.  Real  estate;  then  they  started  the  real 
estate  deal,  the  Ignatz  Florio  Association.  The 
way  they  worked  that  was — I  don't  know  how 
many  got  together,  about  nine  or  ten,  and  they 
started  in  by  building  a  house  and  selling  it — 
they  said,  "We  will  build  a  house  and  sell  it  and 
in  that  way  there  will  be  a  big  profit  and  from 
that  profit  we  get  dividends."  They  got  people 
to  buy  shares;  the  shares  were  payable,  I  think, 
$5  down  and  $2  per  month.  So  they  came  to 
my  mother  and  she  bought  one  share  for  herself, 
one  in  the  name  of  my  brother,  and  one  in  my 


184        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

name.  When  they  got  enough  money  they 
bought  a  lot,  built  a  house  and  sold  it,  and  got  a 
dividend  of  40  per  cent.  You  could  then  either 
take  the  dividend,  and  put  the  money  in  your 
pocket,  or  leave  it  and  it  would  go  on  the  share. 
So  most  of  the  people  left  their  money  to  go  to 
their  credit. 

Q.     Who  got  the  money? 

A.  They  claimed  there  was  a  big  boom  in 
real  estate  and  they  made  another  deal;  they 
got  35  or  30  per  cent,  dividend.  Then  they 
started  to  build  eight  tenement  houses,  four  on 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-seventh  Street  and 
four  on  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth  Street, 
near  Cyprus  Avenue. 

At  the  time  they  were  building,  the  crash  came. 

They  took  advantage  of  the  prices  and  said, 
"We  have  not  enough  money  to  keep  on;  the 
shareholders  will  have  to  come  together  and  pay 
more  money  on  each  share." 

I  paid  $10  extra  on  each  share.  At  that  time 
my  mother  had  acquired  eight  shares.  She  had 
bought  another  for  herself.  Then  my  cousin 
had  bought  two  for  herself,  which  she  did  not 
want  to  keep,  so  my  mother  told  her  she  would 
buy  them  from  her. 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    185 

Q.  Did  Morello  know  anything  about  your 
going  to  see  Commissioner  Wood;  did  you  tell 
him? 

A.    Yes.    I— 

Q.     What  did  you  tell  him? 

A.  I  said  that  Commissioner  Wood,  when  he 
found  out  that  I  would  not  give  the  informa- 
tion he  wanted,  said  that  I  was  just  like  the  rest 
of  them  and  then  told  me  that  I  might  go. 

Q.  Did  you  tell  Morello  before  you  went 
down? 

A.    No. 

Q.  What  did  Morello  say  when  you  told  him 
that  you  had  been  down  there? 

A.  He  said  that  is  the  way  you  have  to  do 
everything. 

Q.  What  do  you  know  about  the  barrel  mur- 
der? 

A.     Absolutely  nothing  at  all. 

Q.     What  do  you  know  about  Inzarillo? 

A.  He  is  considered  of  questionable  char- 
acter. 

Q.     Do  you  know  the  Terranova  Brothers? 

A.     They  are  the  stepbrothers  of  Morello. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  about  them?  Did 
you  treat  them? 


186        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

A.  Yes,  quite  a  long  while;  they  had  a  dis- 
ease which  required  that  they  come  to  my  house 
every  day,  both  Morello  and  the  Terranovas. 

Q.     When  was  that? 

A.     That  went  on  for  about  two  years. 

Q.     What  two  years  ? 

A.  The  two  years  just  preceding  1907  and 
1908. 

Q.  Was  Morello  born  with  that  deformed 
hand? 

A.  Yes.  He  was  so  much  crippled  that  they 
called  him  "Little  Finger." 

Q.     Then  you  did  not  treat  Morello  in  1909? 

A.  At  the  time  that  I  stated  I  did  see  him 
at  No.  107  East  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
eighth  Street;  also,  I  saw  him  in  Rizzo's  house, 
and  he  would  complain  of  pains ;  he  was  always 
complaining. 

Q.     He  was  not  sick  in  bed? 

A.     No. 

Q.  You  did  not  have  any  consultation  with 
Dr.  Brancato? 

A.  No.  I  think  that  I  may  have  had  one 
consultation  with  him  when  he  was  at  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirty-eighth  Street. 

Q.     When? 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    187 

A.  I  think  it  was  before  the  time  I  covered. 
I  think  it  was  in  December,  1908,  also. 

Q.     That  means  January  and  February? 

A.     No. 

Q.     He  was  not  treating  Morello? 

A.     He  was  the  family  physician  in  a  way. 

Q.     What  do  you  think  of  him? 

A.  Dr.  Brancato?  I  want  to  state  the  fact 
as  honestly  as  if  he  were  my  brother.  I  think 
he  was  a  figurehead,  too. 

Q.  Did  he  ever  say  about  what  he  was  go- 
ing to  testify? 

A.  He  said  we  were  up  against  a  bad  prop- 
osition. "Let  us  make  our  testimony  as  light  as 
possible,"  he  said.  I  asked  him  how  we  could 
avoid  a  thing  of  that  kind.  They  would  get  us 
into  trouble  and  we  would  have  to  stand  for  it. 

Q.  Who  came  to  you  and  told  you  that  you 
would  have  to  testify? 

A.  Nobody;  but  this  is  the  way  it  was  done: 
They  went  to  my  mother  and  began  to  talk  to 
her. 

Q.     Who? 

A.  Mrs.  Morello  and  the  mother  of  Morello 
and  the  brothers  of  Morello.  So  they  went  there 
and  began  to  explain  that  they  had  got  into  very 


188        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

serious  trouble.  They  also  said  that  the  only; 
way — 

Q.     Who? 

A.  That  he  could  be  possibly  saved  would  be 
to  produce  an  alibi.  I  was  to  say  that  he  was 
not  out  at  any  time  he  was  accused  of  being  out. 
I  was  to  understand  that  he  was  the  wrong  man 
mentioned  in  court.  They  explained  to  my 
mother  that  the  police  knew  that  Dr.  Romano 
had  been  their  physician.  It  would  be  only  nat- 
ural that  they  call  me;  I  could  then  testify  that 
I  was  treating  Morello  at  the  time  and  he  was 
unable  to  get  out  when,  the  charges  alleged,  Mo- 
rello was  around  and  doing  things  in  the  coun- 
terfeiting plant. 

They  explained  to  my  mother  that  there  was 
no  other  man  that  could  be  called,  because  no 
other  man  would  be  trusted.  The  police  knew 
I  was  Morello's  physician,  they  said. 

And  then  my  mother  asked  them  not  to  call 
me,  that  it  would  be  putting  me  into  trouble,  and 
that  I  would  have  to  abandon  the  business  I  had 
started. 

They  told  her  that  it  was  an  absolute  necessity 
that  I  come  down  from  Rochester  and  testify. 
If  I  did  not  come,  they  said,  Morello  would  be 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    189 

sentenced  surely.  "Naturally,"  they  said,  "we 
think  if  the  doctor  would  come  down,  Morello 
will  be  free." 

So  my  mother  wrote  to  me.  "This  is  the  last 
proposition  they  are  going  to  give  you,"  she  said. 
"I  think  you  cannot  avoid  coming  down." 

Q.  She  wrote  and  told  you  about  it?  Have 
you  got  that  letter? 

A.  No.  Naturally  I  would  not  keep  a  let- 
ter of  that  kind.  I  thought  the  matter  over.  I 
knew  the  character  of  the  men  I  had  to  deal 
with.  I  knew  that  if  I  refused  and  Morello 
got  a  big  sentence  they  would  put  the  whole 
thing  up  to  me.  I  thought  of  my  mother  down 
here  going  out  and  in  at  night,  and  I  had  some- 
thing to  fear.  Probably  if  it  had  been  for  my- 
self only  I  would  not  have  considered  it ;  I  would 
have  looked  at  it  differently.  It  seemed  that  I 
had  no  alternative  in  a  case  of  this  kind.  They 
telegraphed  me. 

Q.     Who? 

A.     The  brothers  Terranova. 

Q.     What  did  they  say? 

A.  Be  in  New  York  to-morrow  to  appear 
in  Court  for  the  testimony  of  my  brother. 

Q.     When  was  that  sent  to  you?     When  did 


190        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

you  get  the  telegram?  Was  it  a  day  or  two 
before  you  came  down? 

A.  Yes,  but  I  came  down  at  once.  The  first 
time  I  came  I  remained  here  two  days.  Not  be- 
ing called,  and  not  being  able  to  leave  my  busi- 
ness for  such  a  long  period,  I  rushed  back  to 
Rochester. 

Q.     When  did  you  come  down  again? 

A.  One  week  later  at  the  time  the  detectives 
were  testifying. 

Q.  And  you  came  down  later?  Did  you  go 
to  your  mother's  house? 

A.     Yes. 

Q.     Whom  did  you  see  there? 

A.     Terranova,  Nick  Terranova. 

Q.     What  did  he  say  to  you? 

A.  "I  am  very  sorry  to  trouble  you.  I  know 
what  you  are  losing.  I  know  that  you  are  do- 
ing this  for  us,  but  it  is  absolutely  necessary. 
You  are  in  no  danger  at  all" — he  was  all  the 
time  in  the  house — "there  will  be  no  danger  for 
you;  you  will  be  all  right." 

Q.     Did  he  tell  you  what  you  had  to  say? 

A.  He  said,  "How  many  times  a  week  do 
you  want  to  say  that  you  saw  him?"     I  answered 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR     191 

once  a  week.  "I  want  to  make  my  testimony 
as  light  as  possible,"  I  told  him,  "so  as  not  to 
get  into  trouble  with  the  Court."  He  said  that 
once  a  week  was  probably  too  little;  "make  it 
twice  a  week,"  he  said.  And  I  said,  if  I  remem- 
ber rightly,  I  saw  him  twice  a  week. 

Q.     Did  he  tell  you  the  time  and  the  period? 

A.  He  told  me  the  period  from  the  latter 
part  of  December  to  the  early  part  of  March. 
Of  course  I  could  not  testify  further  than  that. 

Q.     Was  Dr.  Brancato  there? 

A.     I  was  all  alone. 

Terranova  said  to  me  that  when  his  brother 
(Morello)  comes  out  of  the  Tombs  I  was  to  tell 
him  just  what  I  was  going  to  testify  to  in  Court. 
This  in  order  to  keep  Morello  from  getting 
mixed  up  in  his  testimony,  and  also  for  the  addi- 
tional purpose  of  keeping  Morello's  mind  at  ease 
in  the  courtroom.  Terranova  told  me  to  come 
along  with  him,  and  he  made  me  stand  in  the 
corner  there  until  he  (Morello)  came  out,  and 
I  was  to  say  he  had  rheumatism. 

Q.  He  said  that ;  did  Terranova  tell  Morello 
you  were  going  to  testify? 

A.     We  had  arranged  that. 


192        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Q.     When  did  you  first  see  him? 

A.  When  they  were  bringing  him  down  from 
the  Tombs  to  the  courtroom. 

Q.     Did  Terranova  speak  to  Morello? 

A.     Yes.     He  first  spoke  to  Morello. 

Q.  And  he  told  him  that  you  were  willing 
to  testify  for  that  period? 

A.    Yes. 

Q.     Then  what  did  you  say  to  Morello? 

A.  "I  am  going  to  testify  for  you,  that  you 
had  rheumatism  for  that  period,  from  the  lat- 
ter part  of  December  to  the  first  part  of  March." 

Q.     Up  to  the  time  you  left  for  Rochester? 

A.  Yes.  He  said,  "Don't  fear;  we  are  out; 
there  is  no  danger  at  all;  you  need  not  fear,  and 
I  tell  you  that  I  was  not  out  of  the  house  at 
all;  nobody  saw  me  and  nobody  will  know  the 
difference,  because  I  was  as  pale  as  a  ghost  at 
the  time." 

Q.  They  did  not  know  we  had  eight  men 
watching  them  at  the  time — 

A.  I  came  the  first  time,  was  here  two  days 
and  was  not  called;  I  hung  around  the  Court 
and  finally  had  to  go  back  to  Rochester  and  look 
after  my  business. 

Q.     When  did  you  first  see  Dr.  Brancato? 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    193 

A.  The  second  time  I  came  down  to  New 
York. 

Q.  Did  you  know  that  he  was  going  to  tes- 
tify too? 

A.     Terranova  told  me — 

Q.     What  did  he  say? 

A.  "He  is  going  to  testify  that  you  were  in 
consultation."  Terranova  took  me  from  the 
courthouse  here  to  Dr.  Brancato. 

Q.     That  is  Nick  Terranova? 

A.     Yes. 

Q.  What  did  you  do  down  in  Brancato's  of- 
fice? 

A.  We  simply  agreed  as  to  what  we  were 
going  to  say;  that  is  the  time  Dr.  Brancato  told 
me  "we  are  up  against  it." 

Q.     On  the  quiet? 

A.     On  the  quiet. 

Q.     Was  Terranova  there? 

A.     He  was  in  the  outside  room. 

Q.  Did  he  tell  you  how  you  would  fix  it  up 
— he  did  not  treat  Morello? 

A.  No.  Morello  was  not  sick;  he  had  no 
rheumatism,  but  complained  all  the  time  of  pains. 

Q.  Did  Dr.  Brancato  tell  you  he  had  not 
treated  him? 


194        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

A.  We  did  not  argue  about  that.  It  was 
understood. 

Q.  It  was  understood  that  you  had  to  swear 
falsely? 

A.  Because  we  could  not  do  otherwise!  So 
they  came  to  me  principally  because  I  was  his 
regular  physician  and  they  got  Dr.  Brancato — 

Q.     To  come  in  after  you  went  to  Rochester? 

A.     I  do  not  know  what  Dr.  Brancato  said. 

Q.  Do  you  know  Maria  Capellano;  she  is  no 
relation  to  you? 

A.     Who? 

Q.  The  trained  nurse  who  said  she  treated 
him? 

A.     No. 

Q.  Do  you  know  Gasparo  Candido,  the  drug- 
gist on  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  Street, 
now  at  No.  23  New  Bowery? 

A.     No. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  have  any  conversation  with 
Mrs.  Morello? 

A.  No — the  only  conversation  I  had  with  her 
was — "Please  do  that  for  the  love  of  the  chil- 
dren; try  and  help  my  husband." 

Q.     Where  did  you  have  that  conversation? 

A.     She  came  to  my  house. 


THE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    195 

Q.  You  fixed  the  whole  thing  up  with  the 
Terranova  boys? 

A.     With  Nick. 

Q.  What  happened  after  you  got  through 
testifying? 

A.     I  rushed  hack  to  Rochester. 

Q.  Have  you  heard  from  them  since  you 
have  been  indicted? 

A.  My  mother  told  the  whole  crowd  that  she 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  them;  didn't  care 
what  the  consequences  would  be.  She  said: 
"You  have  ruined  my  son;  the  last  good  thing 
you  have  done  for  us."  They  said  to  her, 
"Don't  worry,  everything  will  be  all  right." 

She  said:  "I  don't  care  how  it  goes;  I  don't 
want  to  see  you  any  more." 

Q.  Did  you  hear  anything  about  the  alibi 
that  you  were  going  to  establish  for  Cecala? 

A.  I  heard  something  when  I  was  in  the 
lawyer's  office. 

Q.  Were  you  down  in  the  lawyer's  office 
at  all? 

A.  Twice.  He  said:  "What  is  your  testi- 
mony to  be?"  I  told  him,  and  he  said  all  right. 

Q.     The  only  lawyer  you  ever  saw? 

A.    Yes. 


196        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Q.  Terranova  was  the  one  who  had  all  the 
conversation? 

A.     Nick,  yes.     He  did  the  telegraphing. 

Q.     How  did  he  sign  the  telegram? 

A.     Terranova. 

Q.     Did  not  sign  Nicholas? 

A.     No,  I  don't  think  he  did. 

Q.     He  was  down  in  Towns' x  office? 

A.     He  was;  he  never  left  me  a  minute. 

Q.  What  conversation  did  you  have  with 
Ponticelli? 

A.  Only  that  I  got  there  before  he  did.  I 
was  introduced  to  him  here. 

Q.     By  whom? 

A.     I  do  not  recall. 

Q.     He  is  a  friend  of  Morello's? 

A.  I  think  he  was;  lived  downtown;  they 
were  neighbors. 

Q.  Did  you  not  have  a  store  up  there? 
[Rochester.] 

A.  No.  I  went  away  from  New  York  with 
a  druggist. 

Q.     His  name? 

A.  Bisconti.  He  went  out  there  [Roches- 
ter] for  the  purpose  of  setting  up  a  drug  store, 

iMirabeau  L.  Towns,  attorney  for  the  gang. 


LTHE  "BLACK-HAND"  DOCTOR    197 

and  I  to  set  up  an  office.  Naturally,  I  would 
be  doing  business  with  him.  If  I  had  any  pa- 
tients he  would  fill  out  the  prescriptions.  We 
proposed  to  help  one  another.  We  could  not 
set  up  the  drug  store  right  away,  so  I  rented 
my  office  to  him  and  kept  some  medicines  there; 
and  I  wrote  my  prescriptions  and  told  the  pa- 
tients, that  if  they  wanted  they  could  have  the 
prescriptions  filled  out  right  in  the  house.  That 
thing  did  not  work  because  people  would  pay 
one  dollar  for  the  visit  to  me  and  sixty  or  sev- 
enty cents  for  the  medicine,  and  they  thought 
it  was  a  scheme.  I  told  Bisconti  that  as  we  had 
come  to  Rochester  together  I  would  help  him  all 
I  could  to  set  up  a  drug  store  there.  This  was 
when  we  parted. 

Q.     How  long  have  you  known  Bisconti? 

A.     About  three  months. 

Q.  Did  any  of  the  crowd  ever  give  you 
checks  to  present  at  the  bank? 

A.  No.  Ponticelli  has  a  store  with  three  or 
four  men  working.  He  came  to  me  and  asked 
if  I  could  do  him  a  favor.  I  had  been  there  only 
two  or  three  months.  He  said  that  he  was  do- 
ing much  business  and  that  as  I  was  not  doing 
yery  much  he  requested  me  to  go  and  cash  a 


198        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

check  for  him.  It  was  for  $300  made  out  by 
Ponticelli  himself. 

Q.  Did  they  ever  discuss  the  counterfeit 
operations  with  you  in  any  way? 

A.     No. 

Q.  The  only  thing  you  know  about  them  is 
that  thev  made  you  come  down  here  and  testify? 

A.     Yes. 

Q.     Did  they  threaten  your  mother? 

A.    No. 

For  making  this  statement,  which  shows  up 
the  methods  whereby  the  "Black  Handers"  oper- 
ated and  tried  to  escape  the  punishment  of  the 
court  for  the  offenses  with  which  they  were 
charged,  Dr.  Romano  was  allowed  to  go  free 
after  sentence  was  suspended. 

Dr.  Brancato,  the  other  physician,  was  tried 
twice,  once  the  jury  disagreeing  and  the  second 
time  he  was  found  not  guilty. 

I  have  no  criticism  of  the  action  of  the  jury 
in  Dr.  Brancato's  case.  It  is  simply  in  line  with 
the  "fortunes  of  war"  that  the  government  was 
unable  to  land  Dr.  Brancato. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  "BLACK-HAND"   TESTAMENT 

On  the  person  of  one  Rudolpho  Palermo—- 
one  of  the  henchmen  of  the  Morello-Lupo  band 
—we  discovered  a  small  black  book  closely  writ- 
ten in  the  nebulous  dialect  of  Sicily.  This  man 
was  under  arrest  on  the  charge  of  dealing  in 
spurious  money  of  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada. We  felt  sure  we  had  in  our  grasp  an  im- 
portant document.  After  some  little  coaxing 
Palermo  finally  confessed  that  the  ominous  look- 
ing little  book  contained  the  rules  governing  the 
actions  of  the  "Black-Hand"  Society. 

Palermo  is  now  serving  a  second  sentence  of 
six  years  in  the  Federal  Penitentiary  of  Atlanta, 
Georgia. 

The  following  is  a  translation  from  the  Sicilian 
patois  of  the  rules  and  articles  found  in  the  lit- 
tle black  book — the  bible  of  the  "Black-Hand- 
ers": 

First  Article — Whoever  confides  to  other  com- 

199 


200       THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

panions,  not  belonging  to  the  same  society,  the 
operations  and  movements  of  his  associates,  or 
offends  a  companion  by  word  or  deed,  seriously 
or  in  fooling,  or  does  not  respect  the  recruits 
(who  cannot  be  commanded  for  other  than  af- 
fairs of  the  society),  or  refuses  to  mount  guard 
at  his  turn,  or  gets  drunk  or  has  a  quarrel  among 
companions,  or  when  being  called  by  a  compan- 
ion for  business  of  the  society  refuses  his  serv- 
ice without  justified  motive,  or  leaves  town  for 
more  than  one  day  and  does  not  let  it  be  known 
to  the  society,  is  punishable  by  a  fine  of  $20  and 
cannot  come  back  to  his  place.  But  his  asso- 
ciates must  be  all  of  one  accord,  pro  and  con,  in 
judging  him  guilty.  In  case  one  of  the  com- 
panions in  the  society  departs,  he  must  surren- 
der to  those  remaining  the  power  of  his  vote,  or 
he  must  leave  his  address  so  that  the  society  may 
notify  him  of  a  meeting  in  the  case  of  new  prac- 
tice, when  he  will  go  to  the  place  at  the  expense 
of  the  interested  party.  But  if  the  punished 
party  does  not  give  proof  of  amending,  he  will 
be  unfrocked — in  all  points  remaining  honored, 
however — unless  he  commits  some  infamy. 
Whenever  the  society  is  re-formed  there  must 
be  an  opinion  of  the  judges  as  to  who  merits 


"BLACK-HAND"  TESTAMENT      201 

his  place,  and  who  cannot  come  to  his  place,  un- 
til a  meeting  of  the  same  society  of  its  own  will 
takes  place,  without  any  one  appealing  to  an- 
other body  of  the  society. 

Second  Article — He  who  swears  falsely  on  his 
submission,  who  draws  a  weapon  against  a  com- 
panion without  a  weapon  and  one  of  the  same 
dimensions  (always  an  uncovered  point)  or  pulls 
a  revolver,  or  has  a  duel  with  any  man  of  the 
same  society  without  the  permission  of  his  supe- 
rior, is  unfrocked,  roundly  deprived  of  his  rights, 
and  he  who  protects  him  falls  in  disgrace  without 
right  of  appealing  to  another  body  of  the  society. 

Third  Article — The  companion  who  knows  of 
an  offense  committed  by  an  associate  against  the 
society,  and  does  not  report  it  to  the  society, 
falls  under  the  same  charge. 

Fourth  Article — He  that  does  not  come  at  the 
precise  hour  of  meeting  the  blackmailers  on  the 
day  set  for  duty  will  be  punished  without  warn- 
ing. If  he  gives  an  explanation  acceptable  to 
the  society,  he  will  be  reinstated;  otherwise,  he 
will  not  participate  at  the  next  division  of  funds. 

Fifth  Article — A  recruit  is  entitled  to  one- 
fifth  of  the  spoils  procured  by  or  through  him 
for  the  society. 


202        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Sixth  Article — The  society  cannot  proceed  in 
any  matter  without  the  consent  of  all  the  com- 
panions ;  the  opposition  of  a  single  vote  is  enough 
to  dead-lock  the  proceedings,  provided  the  rea- 
sons given  by  the  dissenter  are  satisfactory  and 
convincing  to  the  society. 

Seventh  Article — If  a  companion  arrives  once 
the  council  is  in  session,  his  presence  cannot  alter 
the  agreements  entered  into. 

Eighth  Article — Every  meeting  called  is  to  be 
known  to  those  on  duty  that  day,  at  least  twenty- 
four  hours  beforehand,  except  in  unusual  cases. 

Ninth  Article — It  is  to  the  disposition  exclu- 
sively of  the  head  of  the  society  to  establish  the 
place  and  day  of  meeting  without  objection. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


"the  vermilion  flower  on  the  big  toe" 


Q.  Where  have  you  acquired  the  S  ?  [The 
by-laws.] 

A.  Under  the  Cedar  Plains,  and  passing 
from  the  hole  of  the  Beanstalk,  I  saw  three  lamps 
lighted  and  one  in  the  center  that  could  hardly 
stand. 

Q.     Who  has  formed  the  plan  of  S? 

A.     Fernando  Misprizzi. 

Q.     Is  he  dead  or  alive? 

A.  He  lives  always,  even  after  the  end  of 
the  world. 

Q.     Since  when  have  you  acquired  the  Sgarro ? 

A.  Since  the  scientific  tree  was  planted  in 
the  hole. 

Q.     With  what  is  the  hole  covered? 

A.  With  a  very  fine  carpet  where  the  (Ca- 
morrists)  blackmailers  play. 

Q.     What  is  enclosed  in  this  hole? 

903 


204        LTHE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

A.  The  Penny  of  Crime  denied,  fought  for, 
and  regained. 

Q.     How  do  you  demonstrate  crime? 

A.  Give  me  a  sheet  of  paper  and  you  will 
see. 

Q.     What  does  the  head  of  crime  wear? 

A.  A  silk  handkerchief  with  five  knots  and 
the  Penny  denied,  fought  for,  and  regained. 

Q.     How  many  weapons  are  there? 

A.  Thirteen.  Five  knives  —  four  pairs  and 
one  separate,  five  packs  of  cards,  three  of  which 
are  for  the  ordinary  blackmailing  and  two  for 
the  blackmailing  of  the  experienced;  stiletto, 
small  tapper,  and  razor. 

Q.     Where  have  you  drawn?  (blood). 

A.     From  the  right  thumb  of  the  right  hand. 

Q.  What  does  an  experienced  blackmailer 
bear? 

A.  A  star  in  front  of  him  (on  his  forehead) 
and  a  vermilion  flower  on  the  big  toe  of  the  left 
foot. 

Q.     How  many  kinds  of  blackmail  are  there? 

A.  Three — ordinary  blackmail  that  becomes 
all  blackmailers  by  turn,  bold  blackmail  which 
is  "that  denied,  fought  for,  and  regained,"  and 


"THE  VERMILION  FLOWER"     205 

high  blackmail  that  belongs  to  the  supreme  in- 
itiated blackmailers. 

Q.  What  does  a  highly  initiated  blackmailer 
especially  bear? 

A.  A  pair  of  small  scissors,  a  silver  needle, 
pins,  cotton  and  taffeta. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


THE  GENTLE  ART  OF  WRITING  "BLACK-HAND" 
LETTERS 


The  reader,  being  now  on  the  "inside"  with 
us,  I  hope  the  extracts  of  the  "black-hand"  let- 
ters given  here  will  convey  some  meaning. 

When  we  had  our  net  closely  drawn  about  the 
band  of  counterfeiters  led  by  Lupo  and  Morello, 
we  raided  the  homes  of  the  various  members  of 
the  gang.  It  fell  to  the  lot  of  operative  T.  G. 
Gallagher  to  be  among  those  of  our  men  who 
entered  Morello's  home  and  placed  the  leader 
under  arrest. 

In  this  case,  the  diaper  wrapped  about  the 
body  of  Morello's  baby  attracted  the  experienced 
eye  of  operative  Gallagher.  The  moment  Gal- 
lagher broke  into  the  room  where  Mrs.  Morello 
was  nursing  her  baby  he  noticed  that  Mrs.  Mo- 
rello tucked  something  away  in  the  diaper  of 
the  infant.  The  mother  fingered  the  cloth  rather 
nervously. 

206 


"BLACK-HAND"  LETTERS      207 

Gallagher  suggested  to  Mrs.  Morello  that 
there  might  be  something  of  interest  to  the  gov- 
ernment wrapped  in  the  cloth  that  protected  the 
little  Morello,  and  instantly  the  mother  became 
very  emphatic  in  her  native  manner  of  making 
us  understand  that  she  "no  understand." 

Gallagher  is  a  man  of  Irish  extraction  from 
the  environs  of  Boston.  In  other  words,  he  has 
the  humorous  instinct.  So  he  suggested  that 
maybe  the  poor  baby  needed  a  fresh  diaper! 
There  was  a  flash  of  volcanic  fire  in  the  mother's 
eye  as  two  strong  arms  held  her  secure  while 
Gallagher  removed  the  cloth  from  the  infant's 
limbs  and  exposed  the  letters,  copies  of  which 
are  here  given. 

The  letters  concern  the  admittance  into  the 
society  of  a  man  who  is  questioned  by  the  lead- 
ers in  New  York,  and  who  in  turn  puts  the 
responsibility  for  his  admittance  up  to  the  Chi- 
cago gang.  Black  borders  adorn  both  the  en- 
velopes and  the  paper  upon  which  the  writer  had 
scribbled  his  tale.  The  first  of  these  letters  is 
addressed  to  Mr.  Rosario  Dispenza,  No.  147 
Milton  Avenue,  Chicago,  111.,  and  is  from  G. 
La  Bella  Morello,  No.  2069  Second  Avenue, 
New  York. 


208        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY; 

"Dear  Friend: 

"In  answer  to  your  letter  that  bears  date  of 
the  10th,  I  hear  what  you  say  in  it.  Regarding 
the  Council,  you  have  no  right  to  be  present  in 
the  meetings.  The  Council  is  divided  and  sep- 
arated from  the  Assembly.  But  in  case  that 
some  Councilman  wishes  to  be  present  in  some 
meeting  of  the  Assembly,  he  can  come  but  only 
to  hear  and  then  has  no  right  to  the  floor,  neither 
right  to  an  opinion  or  right  to  vote. 

"Have  I  explained  myself? 

"This  is  for  your  guidance.  Now  regarding 
Calogero  Constantino.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I 
have  as  yet  been  unable  to  persuade  myself  as  to 
what  it  is  about,  the  letters  to  me  have  not  been 
satisfying  or  convincing.  There  should  have 
been  better  explanations.  In  this  manner  I  can- 
not answer  with  exact  judgment  and  clear  con- 
science. I  cannot  understand  how  it  is  that 
Calogero  Constantino  remains  arrested  at  Baca- 
luse,  Louisiana,  while  under  the  protection  of  so 
many  good  friends  engaged  incessantly  to  make 
him  obtain  his  liberty,  and  you  others  of  Chicago 
have  all  this  contract  on  your  side. 

"I  have  said  it  more  than  once  that  I  and  my 
townsmen  have  always  known  the  Constantino 


"BLACK-HAND"  LETTERS      20$ 

family  as  a  good  family,  and  none  other  but  very 
good,  and  the  boss  of  my  town,  I  am  sure,  can- 
not give  you  better  details,  though  I  doubt  if 
they  knew  this  family  just  because  they  were  not 
to  our  bearing,  but  nevertheless  leaning  towards 
good  people ;  have  you  seen  'the  ox,  neither  white 
nor  black,'  this  is  their  bearing.  But  not  for 
this  I  repeat,  always  of  good  people;  there  have 
been  born  at  times  people  that  had  given  a  good 
account  of  their  being,  honored  and  respected 
as  always. 

"We  of  Corleone  have  never  had  any  dealings 
with  them,  therefore  could  not  try  them  and  ap-. 
preciate  their  merits.  Others  that  have  had  deal- 
ings, that  is  to  say  have  known  their  good  mer- 
its, and  have  brought  them  to  make  part  of  our 
family.  Nothing  extraordinary,  because  cer- 
tainly would  not  have  brought  them  in  this  land 
if  they  had  not  known  their  good  merits.  They 
have  done  well.  We,  of  Corleone,  will  appre- 
ciate said  doings. 

"In  your  letter  you  tell  me  that  regarding 
Calogero  Constantino  there  is  nothing  to  say, 
but  there  should  be  exact  information,  because 
there  are  eight  good  workers  sick  to  put  the  work 
on  him  and  of  the  eight  persons  there  are  those 


210       THE  BARREL  MYSTERY] 

in  danger  of  their  lives.  But  you  must  excuse 
me  if  I  and  others  have  not  understood  such 
language. 

"If  you  know  that  Constantino  is  of  good 
health,  also  he  is  severely  of  good  health,  you 
will  take  with  other  townsmen  of  yours  the  re- 
sponsibility here  and  also  of  the  town,  and  we 
will  do  everything.  Neither  I  nor  others  here 
can  understand  how  you  ever  in  your  wise  think- 
ing write  us  in  this  manner.  If  I  have  written 
to  you  more  than  once  that  this  Constantino 
family  have  never  been  to  our  hearing.  Known 
to  us  only  by  sight  in  America  as  in  the  town, 
and  then  this  is  not  enough.  You  surely  should 
not  ignore  the  fact  Calogero  Constantino  has 
been  missing  from  New  York  at  least  six 
years. 

"Now,  then,  I  ask  you  why  you  write  me  and 
others  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  said  indi- 
vidual; if  this  party  could  be  admitted,  then  we 
assume  the  responsibility  of  an  individual  that 
had  been  seen  'neither  born  nor  raised'  and  who 
has  never  been  known  by-name  or  sight.  This 
responsibility  you  should  ask  of  others,  not  us. 
You  see  in  this  that  I  was  right  in  resenting  De 
Vito  Casiaferro  and  Enea,  and  saying  that  it  is 


"BLACK-HAND"  LETTERS       211 

not  done  that  way,  in  making  a  person,  by  not 
asking  information  of  the  townsmen  before  mak- 
ing it,  that  all  these  discussions  now  would  not 
have  been. 

"Now  you  must  ask  them  to  assume  the  re- 
sponsibility, those  that  have  made  him,  not  us. 
Of  us  you  must  ask  only  if  we  have  anything 
to  say.  This,  yes,  is  very  correct.  But  to  as- 
sume responsibility  is  one  thing,  and  asking  if 
we  have  anything  to  say  is  another  thing.  There 
is  a  great  difference.  Therefore,  we  go  in 
Court,  we  have  undersigned,  upon  our  conscience 
and  on  our  honor  declare  of  having  nothing  to 
say  upon  the  conduct  and  honor  of  Calogero 
Constantino,  not  regarding  him  only  but  also  of 
his  family.  All  of  Corleone.  Giuseppe  La 
Bella  and  brother,  Vincenzo,  brother  Ciro  and 
brother  Coco. 

"Paolo  Frisella, 
"Gaetano  Lomonte, 
"Stefano  Lasala, 

"FORTUNATO  Lo  MONTE, 

"Antonio  Rjzzo, 

"MlCHALE  CoNIGLIO, 

"Angelo  Valenti, 
"Francesco  Moscato." 


212        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

This  letter  was,  of  course,  written  in  the  Sicil- 
ian dialect,  and  was  translated  into  the  foregoing 
"English,"  which,  the  reader  will  notice,  is  not 
quite  the  "Queen's  own."  But  the  translation 
was  made  close  to  the  Sicilian,  and  we  must  take 
it  as  we  get  it. 

The  reader  will,  of  course,  see  that  Constan- 
tino's admittance  to  the  brotherhood  is  in  doubt. 
That  is,  he  is  not  being  accepted  into  the  society 
except  upon  the  responsibility  of  the  Chicago 
crowd.  Whatever  help  is  to  be  given  him  in 
his  trouble  in  Louisiana,  where  he  is  under  ar- 
rest, must  come  from  the  Chicago  brethren. 
Help  will  come  from  New  York,  perhaps,  in  the 
last  extreme.  This  seems  to  be  the  burden  of 
the  letter. 

Another  letter  follows  which  may  also  help 
the  reader  to  a  conclusion  as  to  whether  such  a 
thing  exists  as  a  "Black-Hand"  Society.  The 
letter  is  addressed  to  Mr.  Vincenzo  Moreci,  No. 
535  S.  Franklin  Street,  New  Orleans,  La.  It 
is  dated  New  York,  November  15th,  1909,  and 
reads  as  follows: 

"Dear  Friend: 

"Am  in  possession  of  your  two  letters,  one 


"BLACK-HAND"  LETTERS      213 

that  bears  date  of  the  5th,  the  other  on  the  10th 
of  November.     I  understand  the  contents. 

"In  regard  to  being  able  to  reorganize  the 
family,  for  me  I  advise  you  all  to  do  it  because 
it  seems  it  is  not  just  to  stay  without  a  king 
nor  country,  but  I  authorize  you  to  convey  to 
all  my  humble  prayer  and  my  weak  opinion,  but 
well  understood,  that  those  that  are  worthy  and 
those  that  wish  to  belong,  those  that  do  not  wish 
to  belong  let  them  go. 

"You  tell  me  that  from  Palermo  arrived  good 
news.  I  nor  the  others  of  New  York  have  not 
been  formally  advised,  therefore  I  beg  of  you 
tell  me  something  about  the  news  from  Palermo. 
Who  has  written  and  whether  any  commission 
has  decided  to  come?  I  have  advised  my  god- 
father La  Gatutte  to  have  in  sight  the  one  from 
Morriale.  I  advise  you  further  that  in  your  last 
letter  I  understood  minutely  and  by  wire,  and 
sign  the  affair  of  the  friend  Vincenzo  Antinoro. 
It  is  well  now  we  are  well  understood.  Now 
for  the  present  the  most  interesting  thing  that  I 
desire  and  expect  is  the  declaration  (statement) 
of  Giovanni  Gulotta  regarding  the  affair  Con- 
stantino and  Trombone  declaration  made  and 
signed   by   his    own   hands    of    Giovanni    Gu- 


214        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

lotta,  and  then  if  we  are  there  it's  a  wonder. 

"I  hear  in  your  letter  that  Sunday  three 
friends  left  to  go  and  see  him.  I  will  await 
patiently  the  answer  and  hope  for  favorable  re- 
sults. Am  in  doubt  that  one  of  my  letters  may 
be  lost,  because,  as  I  had  to  say  in  a  previous 
one  to  the  last,  I  had  spoken  also  of  the  agree- 
ment I  had  made  with  Calogero  Gulotta.  In 
fact,  he  told  me  in  this  his  last  that  in  no  other 
Jetter  of  mine  had  he  understood  what  I  said. 

"I  end  this  moment  by  sending  you  the  most 
cordial  greetings  of  mine  and  my  family  to  you 
with  all  your  family  and  pray  you  make  it  known 
also  to  the  friend  Zito,  Piro,  Sunsseri,  Benanti 
and  their  families  as  also  Vito  Di  Giorgi. 

"They  will  also  receive  many  greetings  of  my 
brothers  and  brothers-in-law  and  my  son  Calidu, 
my  godfather  Angelo  La  Gatutte  and  all  the 
friends  of  merit.  Many  greetings  yet  from  all 
the  friends  of  New  Orleans  that  you  think.  To 
you  a  warm  kiss.  Your  affectionate  friend, 
"(Signed)  G.  LA  BELLA.     (Morello.)', 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

FIVE    HUNDRED    DOLLARS    FOR   A    BADLY    WRITTEN 
LETTER 

The  value  of  these  letters  to  the  gang,  and  the 
peculiar  information  revealed  in  them  to  the 
Secret  Service,  prompted  the  "Black-Hand" 
crowd  to  get  together  a  fund  of  $500,  which 
was  offered  by  one  of  the  crowd  to  a  man  now 
attached  to  the  New  York  Police  Department. 
With  this  money  the  gang  intended  to  bribe  this 
man  to  get  the  letters  and  return  them  to  Mrs. 
Morello.  Until  this  man,  who  was  then  a  mem- 
ber of  the  police  department  and  a  detective, 
reads  this,  he  will  not  suspect  that  I  even  knew 
of  the  offer. 

There  were  other  letters  containing  informa- 
tion of  very  valuable  character  to  the  Secret 
Service. 

Now,  when  the  arrest  was  made,  the  news 
spread  through  East  One  Hundred  and  Sixth 
Street,  where  Morello  was  living,  and  some  of 

215 


216        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

the  scouts  brought  the  information  to  Nick  Ter- 
ranova,  a  half-brother  of  Morello.  Terranova 
thereupon  rushed  down  to  Milone's  grocery  store 
at  No.  235  East  Ninety-seventh  Street  to  notify 
the  members  of  the  gang  who  might  be  there 
that  Giuseppe  had  been  placed  under  arrest. 

There  was  a  surprise  coming  to  Nick  when  he 
discovered  a  number  of  Secret  Service  men  in 
charge  of  the  store,  and  the  members  of  the  gang 
taken  away  by  the  government's  officers.  He 
tried  to  act  an  imbecile,  and  pretended  not  to 
understand  English  when  asked  for  a  reason  for 
his  coming  into  the  store.  He  was  as  commu- 
nicative as  the  proverbial  oyster. 

At  the  time  when  Morello  was  arrested  he  was 
in  bed  with  his  son.  Under  the  pillow  of  each 
was  found  a  large  revolver.  Neither  father  nor 
son,  it  is  needless  to  say,  were  given  the  oppor- 
tunity to  reach  the  weapons.  The  son  has  since 
been  murdered. 

And  now  that  we  are  on  the  subject  of  let- 
ters I  might  relate  that  when  the  members  of 
the  gang  discovered  Comito  had  confessed  what 
he  knew  of  the  counterfeiting  scheme,  they  tried 
to  locate  Comito,  who  had  been  hidden  by  me. 


A  BADLY  WRITTEN  LETTER     217 

They  tried  a  number  of  ruses  in  their  efforts  to 
locate  him  for  the  purpose,  presumably,  of  mur- 
dering him. 

One  of  their  efforts  was  characteristic:  Se- 
cret Service  operative  Rubano  was  thought  by 
the  gang  to  be  the  man  who  was  communicating 
with  Comito  by  mail.  This  was  presumed  by 
the  gang  without  foundation.  However,  it  was 
enough  for  the  gang  to  feel,  that  this  was  the 
way  in  which  I  was  keeping  in  touch  with  Co- 
mito.    Here  is  what  happened: 

Don  Gasparo  had  a  drug  store  at  No.  23  New 
Bowery,  where  he  also  had  a  branch  post  office 
and  received  letters  there  for  a  number  of  the 
"Black-Hand"  crowd.  Some  one  wrote  to  the 
postmaster  of  New  York,  on  a  change  of  address 
card,  and  asked  the  postmaster  to  have  all  of 
Pietro  Rubano's  mail  sent  to  No.  23  New 
Bowery. 

Now  you  must  sign  your  own  name  to' the  card 
asking  for  this  change.  So  there  was  the  dif- 
ficulty of  getting  Rubano's  signature  to  the  card 
without  his  knowing  it.  That  was  easy  for  the 
writer.  He  forged  Rubano's  name  on  the  sig- 
nature line  of  the  card.     The  gang  was  elated. 


218      tTHE  barree  mystery 

They  would  now  get  the  "Squealer"  Comito's 
letters  to  the  Secret  Service  and  locate  and  de- 
stroy the  traitor. 

But,  like  the  plans  of  the  little  field  mouse  of 
whom  Robert  Burns  wrote,  the  best  laid  schemes 
"gang  aft  agley." 

I  asked  Rubano  if  he  had  made  the  request 
of  the  post  office  to  have  his  mail  addressed  to 
the  New  Bowery  place,  and  the  detective  told 
me  it  was  news  to  him. 

Then  information  came  to  me  about  Gasparo, 
and  I  found  that  the  druggist  had  good  reasons 
to  stand  in  with  Morello.  He  had  formerly  run 
a  drug  store  up  in  the  Bronx  in  the  near  neigh- 
borhood of  Lupo  and  Morello's  real  estate  ven- 
ture and  was  a  fast  friend  of  Morello.  In  fact, 
he  and  Morello  were  co-workers  in  enterprises 
that  do  not  propagate  peace  on  earth  and  good 
will  among  men. 

We  started  to  lay  a  trap  for  Gasparo.  I  sent 
a  number  of  letters  from  different  parts  of  the 
country  addressed  to  Rubano  at  the  Custom 
House,  New  York,  knowing  that  they  would  be 
forwarded  to  the  New  Bowery  address. 

The  letters  were  placed  in  large  envelopes  of 
different  and  pronounced  color  and  easily  distin- 


A  BADLY  WRITTEN  LETTER     219 

guishable  to  the  eye  when  placed  in  the  letter 
"R"  box  in  Gasparo's  branch  post  office. 

Then  I  set  Secret  Service  men  to  watch  those 
who  called  for  mail  and  to  shadow  any  one  call- 
ing for  the  large  colored  envelopes. 

This  scheme  of  mine  did  not  work  out,  though, 
to  any  fruitful  end  because  of  the  failure  of  any 
of  the  gang  to  call  for  the  envelopes  with  Ru- 
bano's  name  on  them.  A  number  of  the  gang 
had  gone  in  and  out  of  the  drug  store  for  days, 
but  not  one  took  away  any  of  the  large  colored 
envelopes.  Either  they  were  afraid  to  take  the 
chance  or  some  suspicious  circumstance  warned 
them  off  when  at  the  post  office  window.  Such 
things  as  a  strange  man  passing  and  looking  into 
the  drug  store,  or  the  appearance  of  a  stranger 
in  the  neighborhood,  might  have  been  sufficient 
reason  for  the  member  who  started  for  the  let- 
ters to  refrain  from  asking  for  them  at  the  last 
moment.  These  Morello-Lupo  members  are 
very  suspicious,  and  in  dealing  with  them  this 
trait  must  always  be  considered. 

Another  incident  of  the  efforts  of  the  gang  to 
locate  Comito  may  be  of  interest  at  this  point 
when  I  relate  that  the  gang  offered  $2,500  to 
any    one    who    would    reveal    to    the    "Black- 


220       ,THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Handers"  the  whereabouts  of  Comito.  This 
$2,500  was  offered  to  the  same  member  of  the 
New  York  Police  Department  who  was  also  of- 
fered $500  for  the  return  of  the  letters,  two  of 
which  I  have  given  a  few  pages  back. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

METHODS    OF    BLACKMAILING 

A  threatening  letter  is  sent  to  a  proposed 
victim.  Immediately  after  the  letter  is  deliv- 
ered by  the  postman  Morello  just  "happens"  to 
be  in  the  vicinity  of  the  victim  to  be,  and  "acci- 
dentally" meets  the  receiver  of  the  letter. 

The  receiver  knows  of  Morello's  close  connec- 
tions with  Italian  malefactors,  and,  the  thing  be- 
ing fresh  in  mind,  calls  Morello's  attention  to 
the  letter. 

Morello  takes  the  letter  and  reads  it.  He  in- 
forms the  receiver  that  victims  are  not  killed  off 
without  ceremony  and  just  for  the  sake  of 
murder. 

The  "Black-Hand"  chief  himself  declares  he 
will  locate  the  man  who  sent  the  letter,  if  such 
a  thing  is  possible,  the  victim  never  suspect- 
ing that  the  letter  is  Morello's  own.  Of  course, 
the  letter  is  never  returned  to  the  proposed  vic- 
tim.    By  this  cunning  procedure  no  evidence  re- 


221 


\ 


222        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

mains  in  the  hand  of  the  receiver  of  the  letter 
should  he  wish  to  seek  aid  from  the  police. 

Also,  Morello  is  in  this  way  put  in  close  touch 
with  the  mental  attitude  of  the  receiver  of  the  let- 
ter, and  he  is  in  a  position  to  tell  whether  the 
receiver  will  go  to  the  police  or  not. 

Morello  thus  can  tell  whether  to  proceed  with 
further  threats;  he  can  also  tell  what  manner  of 
threat  is  most  likely  to  persuade  the  receiver  of 
the  letter  to  part  with  his  money. 

The  threat  may  be  the  stealing  of  his  little 
child  or  the  blowing  up  of  his  store  or  the  hor- 
rible invitation  to  expect  swift  and  sudden  death 
from  a  knife  thrust  in  the  dark. 

Morello  was  practically  the  first  man  to  make 
this  manner  of  blackmail  a  commercial  success 
in  this  country. 

Here  are  a  few  samples  of  letters  taken  by  the 
Secret  Service  men  from  Morello's  house  when 
he  was  arrested  on  the  charges  upon  which  he 
was  convicted  of  counterfeiting  United  States 
money.  It  was  for  these  letters  also  that  the 
offer  of  $500  was  made  in  part. 

The  letter  which  follows  had  been  sent  through 
the  mail  to  Liborio  Bataglia,  at  No.  13  Prince 
Street,  New  York  City.     Morello  had  got  the 


METHODS  OF  BLACKMAILING    223 

letter  back  in  the  usual  way  that  I  have  just 
explained.  It  reads  in  the  English  translation 
from  the  Sicilian  as  follows: 

"Mr.  Bataglia: 

"Do  not  think  that  we  are  dead.  Look  out 
for  your  face;  a  veil  won't  help  you.  Now  is 
the  occasion  to  give  me  five  hundred  dollars  on 
account  of  that  which  you  others  don't  know 
respect  that  from  then  to  now  you  should  have 
kissed  my  forehead  I  have  been  in  your  store, 
friend  Donate  how  you  respect  him  he  is  an 
ignorant  boob,  that  I  bring  you  others  I  hope 
that  all  will  end  that  when  we  are  alone  they 
give  me  no  peace  as  I  deserve  time  lost  that 
brings  you  will  know  us  neither  some  other  of 
the  Mafia  in  the  future  will  write  in  the  bank 
where  you  must  send  the  money  without  so  many 
stories  otherwise  you  will  pay  for  it." 

Here  is  another  letter  that  had  been  sent 
through  the  mails  and  obtained  by  Morello  in 
the  usual  manner.  It  bears  a  Brooklyn  post- 
mark and  is  dated  September  21,  1908.  It  was 
addressed  to  Rosario  Oliveri,  27  Stanton  Street. 
It  reads  in  the  translation  from  the  Sicilian : 


224        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

"Dear  Friend  : 

"Beware  we  are  sick  and  tired  of  writing  to 
you  to  the  appointment  you  have  not  come  with 
people  of  honor.  If  this  time  you  don't  do  what 
we  say  it  will  be  your  ruination.  Send  us  three 
hundred  dollars  with  people  of  honor  at  eleven 
o'clock  Thursday  night.  There  will  be  a  friend 
at  the  corner  of  15th  Street  and  Hamilton  Ave. 
He  will  ask  you  for  the  signal.  Give  me  the 
word  and  you  will  give  him  the  money.  Beware 
that  if  you  don't  come  to  this  order  we  will  ruin 
all  your  merchandise  and  attempt  your  lif  e.  Be- 
ware of  what  you  do.  M.  N." 

Here  is  a  polite  invitation  to  a  proposed  vic- 
tim that  he  very  kindly  dispense  with  his  money. 
It  reads: 

"Friend  : 

"The  need  obliges  us  to  come  to  you  in  order 
to  do  us  a  favor.  We  request,  Sunday  night, 
7th  day,  at  12  o'clock  you  must  bring  the  sum 
of  $1000.  Under  penalty  of  death  for  you  and 
your  dears  you  must  come  under  the  new  bridge 
near  the  Grand  Street  ferry  where  you  will  find 
the  person  that  wants  to  know  the  time.    At  this 


METHODS  OF  BLACKMAILING    225 

word  you  will  give  him  the  money.     Beware  of 
what  you  do  and  keep  your  mouth  shut.  .  .  ." 

I  summoned  a  great  many  of  the  people  to 
whom  these  letters  were  sent  and  asked  them  to 
tell  who  they  met  and  how  much  money  they 
gave  to  the  "Black-Handers."  But  invariably 
these  people,  some  of  whom  I  knew  were  vic- 
tims, would  deny  that  they  had  met  any  person 
in  answer  to  the  letter,  and  they  would  also  deny 
that  they  ever  thought  of  giving  any  money  to 
appease  the  wrath  of  the  "Black-Hand"  Society. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


TRACING  A  LETTER 


While  I  was  hot  on  the  trail  of  the  counter- 
feiting gang  led  by  Lupo  and  Morello,  a  letter 
came  to  my  hand  which  contained  a  counterfeit 
five-dollar  note.  The  letter  was  addressed  to 
Andrea  Pollara,  Portage  La  Prairie,  Manitoba, 
Canada.  The  letter  was  written  in  Italian  and 
translated  was  as  follows: 

"Dear  Friend: 

"I  enclose  a  sample  of  those  for  $5  and  beg 
you  buy  five  cents  of  Griciria  (the  "black-hand" 
word  for  glycerine)  which  if  rubbed  on  certain 
counterfeit  bills  will  give  them  the  appearance 
of  age,  and  so  make  them  the  more  easy  to  pass, 
and  rub  it  on  your  hands,  and  then  you  will  do 
whatever  you  want.  If  you  see  they  will  go 
well,  notify  me  at  once  and  I  will  send  you  as 
many  as  you  want." 

226 


TRACING  A  LETTER  227 

The  note  was  signed  I.  P.  It  was  a  regis- 
tered letter  and  sealed  with  black  wax  by  a  stamp 
seal  bearing  the  name  of  F.  Acritelli,  No.  243 
Elizabeth  Street.  The  return  address  on  this 
letter  was  Giuseppe  Conti,  No.  8  Prince  Street, 
New  York  City.  The  letter  also  showed  that  it 
had  been  mailed  at  Sub-Station  No.  78,  which 
is  in  the  Italian  bank  conducted  by  Pasquale 
Pati,  at  No.  240  Elizabeth  Street,  just  across 
the  street  from  where  the  letter  had  been  sealed 
at  Acritelli's  banking  place.  This  Acritelli,  by 
the  way,  is  the  father  of  the  former  Coroner 
Acritelli. 

The  initials  on  the  signature  of  the  letter,  I 
guessed  were  those  of  Pietro  Inzarillo.  This 
man  conducted  a  little  Italian  cafe  at  No.  226 
Elizabeth  Street,  in  the  same  block  where  Acri- 
telli's bank  was,  and  also  in  the  same  block  where 
the  sub-post  office  station  was  located  where  the 
letter  had  been  registered.  Also,  I  knew  that 
this  Inzarillo  was  just  around  the  corner  from 
the  grocery  store  of  Lupo,  at  No.  8  Prince 
Street;  and  in  the  back  of  Lupo's  cafe,  Morello 
conducted  his  Italian  restaurant. 

I  examined  the  five-dollar  counterfeit  bill  and 


228        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

saw  that  it  was  the  work  of  the  Lupo-Morello 
gang. 

Then,  too,  the  return  address,  No.  8  Prince 
Street,  was  where  Morello  and  Lupo  were  doing 
business.  The  problem  was  how  to  connect  these 
two  fellows  with  the  writing  of  the  letter.  It 
had  been  rejected  when  brought  back  there  by 
the  letter  carrier. 

I  hit  upon  the  plan  of  finding  out  whether  the 
handwriting  was  that  of  Lupo,  which  I  had  rea- 
son to  believe  it  was.  I  remembered  that  several 
of  the  Lupo-Morello  gang  were  in  the  Tombs 
awaiting  trial  for  counterfeiting.  I  knew  that 
many  of  their  friends  applied  to  United  States 
Marshal  Henkel  for  passes  to  visit  the  members 
of  the  gang  locked  up.  Two  of  these  were  Isa- 
dore  Crocervera  and  Giuseppe  DePriema.  The 
latter,  by  the  way,  was  the  brother-in-law  of  the 
man  found  murdered  in  the  barrel. 

I  went  to  Marshal  Henkel  and  told  him  what 
I  was  after,  and  made  arrangements  with  him 
to  get  the  handwriting  of  all  those  who  called 
and  asked  for  passes  to  see  the  two  Morello- 
Lupo  counterfeiters.  So  whenever  the  visiting 
members  called  at  the  marshal's  office  and  asked 
for  passes  the  marshal  pretended  that  he  did  not 


TRACING  A  LETTER  229 

understand  and  had  the  visitors  write  out  what 
they  wished  and  required  them  to  sign  the  re- 
quest for  passes.  In  this  way  I  obtained  the 
signature  and  handwriting  of  a  number  of  the 
gang,  but  failed  in  the  main  purpose,  namely, 
that  of  obtaining  a  sample  of  Lupo's  handwrit- 
ing or  his  signature. 

Despite  the  fact  that  I  was  satisfied  that  the 
workmanship  of  the  bill  was  that  of  the  Lupo- 
Morello  crowd,  and  though  I  was  cod  ident  that 
Lupo  wrote  the  letter,  yet  when  the  letter  was 
returned  to  No.  8  Prince  Street  nobody  there 
would  accept  it  for  Giuseppe  Conti,  the  informa- 
tion to  the  letter  carrier  being  that  no  such  per- 
son lived  there  or  was  known  there.  When  you 
know  the  ways  of  the  Sicilian  criminal  this  occur- 
rence alone  is  good  grounds  for  believing  that  a 
great  deal  more  was  known  about  Giuseppe 
Conti  at  the  Prince  Street  address  than  was 
given  to  the  letter  carrier. 

I  hit  upon  another  plan.  I  knew  that  Lupo 
was  importing  into  this  country  a  large  quan- 
tity of  olive  oil,  which  had  to  pass  the  govern- 
ment officials.  Accordingly,  I  went  to  see  John 
Hughes,  brother  of  former  Inspector  of  Police 
Edward  Hughes,  who  was  at  one  time  in  charge 


230        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

of  the  Detective  Bureau  at  Police  Headquarters. 
I  told  Hughes  what  I  wanted.  He  was  in  the 
Custom's  service. 

Hughes  brought  it  about  so  that  the  consign- 
ment of  olive  oil  to  Lupo  was  held  up,  compel- 
ling Lupo  himself  to  write  out  a  list  of  the  goods 
he  desired  to  have  admitted  over  his  personal  sig- 
nature. The  statement  was  then  taken  to  a 
handwriting  expert  and  also  the  letter  contain- 
ing the  counterfeit  five-dollar  bill  was  placed  at 
the  disposal  of  the  expert,  who  declared  that  the 
handwriting  of  the  letter  and  that  of  the  state- 
ment written  by  Lupo  for  his  consignment  of 
olive  oil  was  one  and  the  same. 

Now  I  had  established  a  connecting  link  that 
would  stand  the  test  of  the  courts.  But  there 
were  many  other  things  about  the  letter  that  led 
me  to  go  further  before  making  any  allegation 
against  the  wily  Lupo. 

It  occurred  to  me  it  might  be  well  to  know 
why  the  letter  had  been  sent  away  out  to  a  rail- 
road camp  in  Portage  La  Prairie.  I  got  men  to 
work  on  that  end  of  the  case.  We  found  that 
Andrea  Pollara  was  a  laborer  in  a  railroad  camp 
at  the  address  to  which  the  letter  had  been  sent. 
Further,  it  was  established  that  Andrea  Pollara 


TRACING  A  LETTER  231 

was  the  agent  of  the  gang  in  the  camp  where  a 
number  of  Italians  were  employed  mending  and 
building  spurs  on  the  railroad.  He  had  been 
sent  there  to  investigate  and  see  whether  it  was 
a  profitable  place  in  which  to  distribute  some  of 
the  spurious  bills.  Additional  information  dis- 
closed the  fact  that  the  railroad  camp  had  moved 
and  the  letter  having  been  addressed  to  Portage 
La  Prairie,  and  not  being  called  for,  was  re- 
turned to  the  address  written  on  the  back,  Giu- 
seppe Conti,  No.  8  Prince  Street.  This  cleared 
up  in  my  mind  the  reasons  for  the  letter  being 
sent  to  the  Canadian  railroad  camp  and  also  the 
cause  of  its  being  returned. 

Other  little  connecting  links  were  established 
over  which  I  was  building  a  bridge  to  Lupo  in 
his  Italian  grocery  store.  It  came  to  my  mind 
that  Lupo  had  done  quite  some  business  with 
Banker  Acritelli,  and  Lupo  was  also  on  more 
than  familiar  terms  with  Banker  Pati.  I  knew 
that  Lupo  and  Inzarillo  were  very  friendly.  It 
was  found  that  the  man  to  whom  the  letter  had 
been  addressed  to  in  Canada  was  not  Andrea 
Pollara.  This  was  an  assumed  name.  The 
right  name  of  the  "Black-Hander"  was  Salva- 
tore  Maccari,  who  had  a  wife  living  in  New 


232        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

York  City.     The  net  of  evidence  was  closing  on 
Lupo. 

While  I  was  gathering  the  threads  together, 
the  tragedy  of  the  barrel  murder  came  to  public 
notice.  While  the  police  of  New  York  were 
groping  around  in  the  dark,  I  submitted  infor- 
mation of  which  I  have  spoken  previously  in  this 
book,  and  the  arrest  of  a  number  of  the  gang  for 
the  murder  of  the  victim  in  the  barrel  followed. 
Among  those  arrested  was  Lupo.  When  he  was 
placed  in  custody  his  house  was  searched,  and  the 
following  letter,  written  in  Italian,  was  found. 
It  was  postmarked  Portage  La  Prairie,  Mani- 
toba, Canada,  addressed  to  Pietro  Inzarillo,  No. 
226  Elizabeth  Street,  New  York  City,  dated 
September  4,  1902,  and  translated  reads: 

"Dear  Friend: 

"By  the  present  I  give  you  the  news  of  my 
good  health  and  of  all  the  friends  who  are  with 
me,  and  so  we  hope  to  hear  from  you  and  all  the 
friends  in  New  York,  whom  we  respect.  Mean- 
time, I  beg  of  you  warmly  to  tell  me  when  the 
goods  arrive,  and  to  send  me  the  samples  of  a 
five  in  order  to  see  whether  we  can  do  business, 
prompt  answer   and   samples.     I   and   all  the 


TRACING  A  LETTER  233 

friends  salute  you  together  with  the  friends,  over 
in  New  York,  I  am  your  friend  Andrea  Pollara. 
My  address  is  the  following,  Mr.  Andrea  Pol- 
lara, Portage  La  Prairie,  Manitoba,  Canada. 
P.  S.  Dear  Paolo,  I  beg  of  you  to  send  me  five 
dollars  you  or  Ignazio  (meant  for  Ignazio 
Lupo)  that  as  soon  as  I  get  my  money  I  will 
return  them  to  you,  nothing  else,  I  am  your 
friend  'Salvatore  Matisi.'  Be  so  kind  as  to  put 
them  in  the  letter  of  your  friend,  I  am  sure  you 
will  favor  me." 

The  reader  will  not  require  much  taxing 
of  his  thinking  powers  to  realize  that  the  re- 
turned letter  containing  the  counterfeit  $5.00 
note  was  written  in  response  to  the  above 
letter. 

When  Lupo  was  searched  we  found  another 
clue.  A  note  book  was  found  on  him  in  which 
the  following  entry  is  recorded: 

"S.  Matisi,  sent  to  Canada  $5.00 — to  his  wife 
$5.00— ditto  $4.00." 

Opposite  this  entry,  that  is,  on  the  opposite 
page  in  the  note  book,  is  written : 

"The  name  Matisi  is  mentioned  a  number  of 
times  in  this  book  as  are  also  the  names  of  a 


234        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

number  of  counterfeiters  including  Isadore  Cro- 
cervera  and  Giuseppe  DePriema." 

These  entries  were  taken  to  a  handwriting  ex- 
pert who  declared  that  the  handwriting  was  the 
same  as  that  in  the  letter  which  I  started  tracing 
after  its  return  here  from  Portage  La  Prairie. 
These  entries,  however,  were  in  English,  and  I 
may  note  here  that  Lupo  wrote  English. 

Twelve  of  the  gang  were  arrested  by  the  New 
York  police  when  they  rounded  up  the  crowd 
incident  to  the  barrel  murder.  Among  those  ar- 
rested with  Lupo  was  Pietro  Inzarillo.  When 
the  latter  was  arrested,  his  cafe  at  No.  226  Eliza- 
beth Street  was  searched  and  a  letter  from  Mac- 
cari  was  found.  The  letter  was  postmarked 
Portage  La  Prairie,  Manitoba,  Canada,  dated 
September  1st,  1902,  and  addressed  to  Pietro 
Inzarillo,  alias  Saitta  (Lupo's  full  name  being 
Ignazio  Lupo  Saitta),  Elizabeth  Street,  New 
York.  The  rest  of  the  address  is  illegible.  The 
letter  reads : 

"Canada  Pacife,  August  31,  1902. 
"Dear  Friend: 

"With  these  few  words  I  come  to  make  you 
a  note  of  my  perfect  health,  the  same  I  hope  to 


TRACING  A  LETTER  235 

hear  from  you,  you  brothers  also,  I  desire  to 
know  how  your  father  has  been ;  therefore  I  rec- 
ommend to  you  that  affair  that  I  left  in  your 
charge.  If  my  Uncle  Thomas  comes  from 
Ebgostien,  do  not  forget  the  affair  that  is  the 
direction  that  you  have  given  to  Carmino,  do 
not  let  it  go  up  in  the  air.  As  soon  as  possible 
that  you  can,  make  it.  Nothing  else  to  tell  you. 
Give  my  regards  to  Paolo  Marchese,  regards  to 
Giuseppe  Morello  and  John  Pecorain  and  all 
the  friends  that  ask  for  me,  with  the  best  of 
regards  to  you,  I  say  your  dear  friend  'Salvatore 
Matisi'  accept  the  regards  from  Carmelo  Blan- 
dina.  This  is  the  direction — Salvatore  Maccari, 
P.  O.  Portage  La  Prairie  Manitoba,  Canada." 

No  comment  is  necessary  concerning  the  let- 
ter. It  speaks  for  itself  as  another  thread  in 
the  net  I  was  weaving. 

It  did  not  take  agents  of  the  Secret  Service 
long  to  "pick  up"  Maccari.  He  was  not  aware 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  under  surveillance  for 
some  time  prior  to  May  2,  of  1902,  when  he  was 
placed  under  arrest  at  his  home  in  No.  70% 
James  Street,  New  York  City.  When  his 
apartments  were  searched  agents  of  the  service 


236       THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

looked  under  Maccari's  bed  and  found  letters 
written  from  Portage  La  Prairie,  Manitoba, 
Canada,  and  signed  Salvatore  Maccari.  These 
letters  were  addressed  to  Maccari's  wife,  and  con- 
tained what  is  termed  "rivetting"  evidence. 
Also,  there  were  letters  from  his  wife  to  Mac- 
cari and  addressed  to  him  at  Portage  La  Prairie. 

When  placed  under  arrest  Maccari  at  first 
denied  that  he  knew  either  Lupo  or  Inzarillo, 
and  proved  to  be  a  proverbial  Italian  at  giving 
information  to  the  police.  He  would  not  admit 
that  he  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of  either  of  the 
two  men.  He  knew  nothing  about  the  counter- 
feit money,  and  had  never  even  seen  any  spun* 
ous  bills  either  in  this  country  or  in  Italy.  He 
made  the  sign  of  the  cross  and  called  on  the  saints 
to  prove  the  truth  of  his  lying  statements.  He 
declared  that  he  could  not  read,  neither  could  he 
write. 

Later  on  he  admitted  that  he  was  intimately 
acquainted  with  Lupo  and  that  Lupo's  father 
and  his  father  were  great  friends  in  Italy  for 
years  and  that  both  families  were  life-long 
friends.  He  also  admitted  that  he  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  Inzarillo.     He  also  declared  that 


TRACING  A  LETTER  237 

the  letters  were  written  by  a  friend  and  signed 
at  his,  Maccari's,  dictation.  And  more  evidence 
was  ferreted  out. 

The  water  mark  in  the  billheads  used  by  Lupo 
in  his  grocery  business  was  identical  with  that 
in  the  letter  sent  to  Portage  La  Prairie,  and 
having  on  it  the  return  address  of  Giuseppe 
Conti,  No.  8  Prince  Street.  The  envelope  upon 
which  the  return  address  was  written  was  the 
same  make  as  the  envelopes  found  in  the  cafe 
of  Inzarillo  when  that  place  was  searched  follow- 
ing Inzarillo's  arrest  in  connection  with  the  bar- 
rel murder. 

On  October  24,  1902,  a  registered  letter  ad- 
dressed to  Andrea  Pollara,  with  the  return  ad- 
dress P.  Inzarillo  and  Giglio,  was  returned  to 
Lupo  at  his  residence,  No.  433  West  Fortieth 
Street.  Pollara  could  not  be  located  in  the 
Canadian  camp  and  so  the  letter  came  back. 
Lupo  signed  the  receipt  for  the  returned  letter. 
The  handwriting  was  the  same  as  in  the  instances 
already  related  wherein  the  "Black  Hander's" 
scribbling  was  identified  by  an  expert. 

I  will  not  weary  the  reader  with  further  efforts 
along  this  line  of  reaching  one  of  the  big  chiefs 


238       THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

of  the  gang  as  he  stood  far  in  the  background, 
certain  of  his  immunity  from  any  connection  in  a 
legal  sense  with  the  distributor  of  the  money 
his  brain  had  planned  to  build  up  his  fortune  on. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

"black-hand"  propaganda 

The  method  followed  in  enlisting  Antonio 
Schiavi  into  the  service  of  the  gang  affords  a 
typical  example  of  the  cunning,  watchful  pro- 
cedure of  the  Lupo-Morello  secret  propaganda, 
which  was  in  a  fair  way  to  become  of  world-wide 
scope.  A  gang  member,  Giuseppe  Gudo,  man- 
aged to  send  Schiavi  to  a  drug  store  where  he 
was  sure  to  meet  Antonio  Miloni.1 

Schiavi  tells  of  leaving  Rio  de  Janeiro  about 
February  23,  1909,  on  the  steamship  Gunther, 
and  arriving  in  New  York  in  the  middle  of  Feb- 
ruary of  the  same  year.  While  on  shipboard  he 
became  acquainted  with  Giuseppe  Gudo,  a  tailor 
of  Newark,  New  Jersey.  After  striking  up  a 
friendly  acquaintance  with  Gudo  Schiavi  says, 
and  telling  Gudo  that  he  was  a  litho-engraver, 

i  Miloni  was  Treasurer  of  the  Ignatz  Florio  Co-Operative 
Association.  He  was  indicted  and  confessed.  He  is  now  in 
Italy  a  fugitive  from  justice. 

239 


240        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Bono  sent  him  to  the  drug  store  of  Mocito,  af 
No.  20  Broome  Street,  where  Schiavi  was  to 
ask  for  Giuseppe  Carlino,  another  litho-engraver 
who  would  get  employment  in  New  York  for 
Schiavi. 

Schiavi  never  met  any  Carlino,  he  says,  but 
Gudo  had  spoken  about  him  (Schiavi),  the  lat- 
ter learned  at  the  drug  store.  Accordingly, 
Schiavi  continued  to  go  to  the  Mocito  store  and 
remained  there  for  a  half  day  at  a  time  in  the 
hope  of  meeting  Gudo.  He  was  unsuccessful  in 
this,  though,  but  often  met  Cecala  at  the  drug 
store.  One  day  Cecala  spoke  to  him,  Schiavi 
says,  and  suggested  that  with  a  little  money  he 
(Schiavi)  could  start  in  a  profitable  business. 

Cecala  never  said  much  more  concerning  this 
business  venture,  though,  to  Schiavi,  but  one  day 
Cecala  made  a  further  suggestion  that  Schiavi 
might  help  a  certain  man  learn  the  photo-engrav- 
ing business.  This  man,  according  to  Cecala, 
had  been  in  the  bicycle  business,  but  had  given 
up  this  enterprise  and  was  looking  around  for 
employment  that  promised  to  be  more  remunera- 
tive. 

Finally,  one  day  at  the  drug  store,  he  was  in- 
troduced to  Antonio  B.  Miloni  by  Cecala  who 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA       241 

told  Schiavi  that  Miloni  was  the  man  of  whom 
Cecala  had  been  speaking  and  who  wanted  to 
learn  the  photo-engraving  business. 

Schiavi  and  Miloni  had  an  extended  conversa- 
tion, and  Schiavi  agreed  to  go  to  the  home  of 
Miloni  and  teach  him  the  business.  Then  for 
about  six  weeks  or  two  months  Schiavi  went  to 
the  home  of  Miloni  daily,  and  taught  the  "Black 
Hander"  the  essentials  of  the  photo-engraving 
business.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  according  to 
Schiavi,  Miloni  discovered  that  he  could  proceed 
by  himself  and  announced  to  Schiavi  that  he 
(Miloni)  had  joined  the  photo-engravers'  union. 

About  a  year  or  so  after  this,  Schiavi  says  he 
met  Miloni  on  Third  Avenue  near  One  Hundred 
and  Fourteenth  Street,  and  Miloni  was  on  his 
way  home.  The  latter  had  in  his  possession, 
Schiavi  says,  a  camera  and  all  the  necessaries  for 
photographing.  Also,  Schiavi  says,  Miloni  took 
him  along  to  a  photo-engraving  supply  store  at 
No.  103  Mott  Street,  where  the  "Black  Hander" 
bought  several  kinds  of  the  supplies  necessary 
to  the  photo-engraving  business. 

Schiavi  then  tells  of  making  a  rendezvous  of 
the  Mocito  drug  store  after  this  incident.  He 
met  a  man  in  the  drug  store  by  the  name  of  Don 


242        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Ciccio  (Francesco)  who  made  the  drug  store  a 
camping  place.  This  Don  Ciccio  posed  as  be- 
ing in  the  real  estate  business  and  declared  that 
he  was  an  agent.  What  manner  of  agent  he 
was,  Schiavi  says,  Don  Ciccio  never  made  clear. 
This  same  Don  Ciccio,  according  to  Schiavi,  once 
asked  him  whether  he  were  able  to  make  plates 
for  money.  Schiavi  informed  the  real  estate 
man  that  he  could  make  the  plates,  but  preferred 
his  liberty  to  a  term  in  the  confines  of  a  jail. 
Miloni  was  present  during  the  conversation  be- 
tween Schiavi  and  Don  Ciccio,  according  to 
Schiavi,  but  Miloni  did  not  enter  into  the  con- 
versation. There  were  others  who  frequented 
the  drug  store  and  who  were  identified  by  Schiavi 
as  members  of  the  gang  now  imprisoned  on  the 
charges  of  counterfeiting. 

In  many  ways,  too  numerous  to  relate,  in- 
formation of  this  sort  came  to  me  until  the  Secret 
Service  was  facing  the  onerous  task  of  digesting 
and  coordinating  it  for  its  special  needs  to  keep 
the  legal  tender  of  the  country  secure. 

The  subtle,  round-about  manner  in  which  the 
"Black  Hander"  scatters  the  seeds  of  his  prop- 
aganda so  that  they  will  grow  and  bear  fruit  of 
themselves   and   disarm  suspicion  is  well-illus- 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA      243 

trated  in  the  way  in  which  the  attempt  was  made 
to  inveigle  Schiavi. 

Corleone  is  the  home  town  of  Morello  and 
Lupo,  the  arch-plotters.  It  is  a  place  fascinat- 
ing to  the  eye  of  the  artist.  Nestling  at  the  foot 
of  Mount  Cardellia,  in  the  province  of  Palermo, 
Sicily,  it  lies  about  two  thousand  feet  above  sea- 
level  and  seems  to  be  sailing  in  the  clouds  like  a 
phantom  city  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

Corleone  means  Lion-Heart.  Korliun  it  was 
named  by  the  Saracens,  who  founded  it  and 
made  it  a  military  stronghold  in  the  picturesque 
thirteenth  century.  Something  of  the  savage, 
marauding  spirit  of  the  Saracen,  always  a  men- 
ace to  civilization,  hovers  about  the  place — a 
savagery  that  has  nursed  into  being  a  danger- 
ous and  powerful  arm  of  the  great  Mafia  or 
"Black-Hand"  Society  of  Italy.  The  town 
holds  only  about  twenty  thousand  inhabitants 
and  there  is  no  industry  to  speak  of.  Palermo 
is  but  twenty-one  miles  to  the  north  of  it.  There 
is  a  splendid  old  church  in  Corleone  reminiscent 
of  the  time  when  King  Frederick  II  colonized 
these  parts  with  Lombardian  peasants  as  early 
as  1237. 

One  night  in  the  year  1889,  while  on  his  way 


244        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

home,  Giovanni  Vella,  Chief  of  the  Sylvan 
Guards,  was  murdered  in  a  dark  street  but  a 
short  distance  from  his  residence  in  Corleone.  A 
bullet  had  torn  its  way  through  his  back  and  into 
his  lung.  Vella  lasted  but  a  few  minutes  after 
the  shooting,  but  long  enough  to  cause  a  nasty 
tangle  for  the  police  in  their  effort  to  solve  the 
murder.  Vella  lived  just  long  enough  to  utter 
a  few  remarks  that  were  misused  by  Mafia  in- 
fluences to  send  an  innocent  man  to  prison  for 
twenty-two  years. 

Anna  Di  Puma,  a  neighbor,  returning  to  her 
house  at  that  hou  •  had  just  passed  through  a 
dark  alley  and  noticed  two  men  lurking  in  the 
shadow.  She  passed  close  and  looked  into  their 
faces,  recognizing  one  of  the  men  as  Giuseppe 
Morello,  whom  she  knew  very  well. 

A  couple  of  minutes  later,  even  before  she 
had  reached  her  door,  she  heard  a  shot  and  ran 
back  into  the  alley.  There  she  found  Vella  ly- 
ing in  the  exact  spot  where  she  had  seen  Mo- 
rello and  his  companion  apparently  hiding  but 
a  few  minutes  previously.  Anna  Di  Puma  told 
the  neighbors  what  she  had  seen.  She  was  also 
incautious  enough  to  say  that  she  was  going  to 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA      245 

court  to  tell  on  the  witness  stand  just  what  she 
had  observed. 

Anna  Di  Puma  was  shot  in  the  back  and  killed 
two  days  later  while  she  was  sitting  on  the  door- 
step of  a  neighbor's  store. 

Morello  was  arrested  and  charged  with  the 
murder  of  the  Di  Puma  woman.  He  was  held 
in  prison  to  await  trial,  but  powerful  influences 
of  the  Mafia  were  set  to  work  and  Morello  was 
discharged  for  lack  of  evidence.  The  only  wit- 
ness to  the  murder  of  Vella  was  dead.  Two 
lawyers  of  his  band  testified  that  Morello  was 
in  Palermo  with  them  and  not  in  Corleone  on 
the  night  the  Di  Puma  woman  was  murdered. 

Michele  Guarino  Zangara,  living  in  the  next 
apartment  to  Morello,  who  noticed  when  the 
"Black  Hander"  arrived  home  and  overheard  the 
conversation  that  followed  between  Morello  and 
his  mother,  was  also  murdered.  He  was  thrown 
off  a  bridge  one  night  while  on  his  way  home. 
He  was  found  the  next  morning  under  the 
bridge  dead.  This  man  Zangara  had  gone  to 
the  accused  man's  house,  three  or  four  days  after 
the  Chief  of  the  Sylvan  Guards  was  murdered, 
and  told  the  family  of  the  man  unjustly  arrested 


246       JHE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

for  the  crime  that  he  (Guarino)  had  overheard 
Mrs.  Morello  say  to  her  son: 

"Peppe,  what  have  you  done?  Now  they  will 
come  and  arrest  you,"  and  in  response  to  this 
Morello  said,  "Shut  up,  mother,  they  have  gone 
on  the  wrong  scent." 

Zangara,  being  a  man  with  a  large  family, 
feared  to  tell  what  he  knew  because  he  felt  sure 
that  Morello  would  murder  him  just  as  he  had 
slain  the  Di  Puma  woman.  However,  when  the 
accused  man,  Francesco  Ortonello,  was  convicted 
and  sentenced  to  life  imprisonment,  Zangara 
came  to  the  front,  declaring  that  his  conscience 
troubled  him  to  see  an  innocent  man  sent  away 
for  the  murder  of  Vella.  He  went  to  the  au- 
thorities and  told  them  that  he  was  willing  to 
risk  his  life  and  tell  the  truth  for  Ortonello.  The 
authorities  told  Zangara  that  it  would  have  been 
better  had  he  told  it  during  the  trial.  Now  it 
was  too  late. 

A  few  days  after  this  the  murder  of  Zangara 
took  place. 

Morello  was  on  his  way  to  America  at  this 
time,  but  the  "Black  Hander"  had  many  power- 
ful friends  still  watchful  for  his  interests,  and 
some  of  these  attended  to  Zangara. 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA      247 

Pietro  Milone,  a  police  officer  who  tried  hard 
to  clear  Ortonello,  was  murdered  one  night  on 
his  way  home.  The  one  who  slew  the  officer 
was  never  punished. 

Biaggia  Milone  lived  across  the  way  from  the 
spot  where  Morello  and  his  companion  were  seen 
hiding,  and  this  woman  subsequently  admitted 
she  saw  the  shooting  and  that  Morello  did  it. 

This  woman  is  now  in  New  York,  and  is  the 
cousin  of  Domenico  Milone,  who  conducted  the 
grocery  store  at  No.  235  East  Ninety-seventh 
Street,  which  was  the  headquarters  and  distribut- 
ing plant  for  the  Lupo-Morello  counterfeit 
money.  The  Milone  woman  has  even  stated 
publicly  that  she  would  not  testify  to  what  she 
knows  in  behalf  of  Ortonello  in  an  effort  to  get 
the  old  man  out  of  prison  where,  she  says,  she 
knows  he  is  unjustly  kept! 

Ortonello's  father,  who  tried  to  have  his  son 
freed,  was  threatened  with  death  several  times, 
and  several  shots  were  actually  fired  at  him  while 
the  old  man  sat  in  his  own  doorway.  The  marks- 
manship was  not  good  and  the  old  man  escaped 
the  bullets. 

While  Morello  was  in  prison  charged  with 
murdering  the  Di  Puma  woman  he  met  Or- 


248        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

tonello  in  the  prison.  Morello  admitted  to  Or- 
tonello  that  he  had  murdered  Vella,  the  chief  of 
the  Sylvan  Guards,  for  which  crime  Ortonello 
was  there  in  the  prison  awaiting  trial.  Morello 
also  informed  Ortonello  that  if  he  and  all  his 
family  did  not  care  to  join  Vella  in  the  world 
to  come  that  the  whole  family  had  better  be 
careful  of  what  they  said  and  what  charges  they 
made,  and  that  any  evidence  tending  to  show  his 
(Morello's)  complicity  in  the  crime  must  be  sup- 
pressed. 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  view  the  fore- 
going facts  in  proper  perspective  it  will  be  neces- 
sary for  me  to  relate  a  little  of  the  politics  and 
the  relation  of  the  so-called  Mafia  to  the  murders. 

Vella,  the  murdered  chief,  was  a  very  active 
and  knowing  man.  He  had  dug  up  a  great 
amount  of  evidence  against  the  criminal  band  of 
which  Morello  was  a  member,  and  which  was  un- 
der the  leadership  of  a  very  wealthy  and  power- 
ful young  man  named  Paolino  Streva. 

Vella  had  sworn  in  public  that  he  would  put 
this  band  out  of  business  in  and  around  Corleone. 
He  also  had  decided  to  place  Morello  under  sur- 
veillance, which  means  that  Morello  would  have 
to  be  home  every  night  at  a  certain  time  and  sub- 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA       249 

ject  to  be  called  at  any  hour  of  the  night  by  the 
police  who  would  see  whether  he  was  behaving 
himself.  Also,  Morello  would  be  compelled  to 
make  reports  of  his  whereabouts  and  conduct  and 
what  work  he  was  at  to  Vella  whenever  the  chief 
should  require  it. 

In  return  for  the  stand  Vella  had  taken  Mo- 
rello swore  publicly  that  he  would  be  avenged  on 
Vella  for  this  punishment. 

Vella  also  knew  of  the  extensive  criminal  oper- 
ations of  Streva  and  that  Morello  was  Streva's 
trusted  lieutenant.  Vella  knew  that  Streva  had 
a  great  deal  of  influence  with  judges  and  other 
public  officials  and  even  boasted  that  certain  sen- 
ators in  Rome  would  do  his  bidding.  Through 
this  influence  Streva  managed  to  get  out  of 
prison  a  number  of  thieves,  murderers  and  black- 
guards who  in  turn  would  go  to  any  extremes 
for  Streva.  By  crooked  politics  and  sometimes 
by  fear  Streva  exerted  a  baneful  influence  over 
the  community  the  same  as  his  uncle  had  done 
before  him,  the  uncle  who  had  handed  down  the 
wealth  and  political  power  that  the  younger  man 
enjoyed.  All  these  things  were  well  known  to 
Vella. 

A  further  circumstance  must  be  related  here. 


250        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

During  the  latter  part  of  1889,  a  large  number 
of  cattle  had  been  stolen  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Corleone  and  the  country  people  were  making 
many  complaints.  Vella  had  been  working  on 
the  case,  and  succeeded  in  rounding  up  facts  and 
evidence  sufficient  to  strike  a  telling  blow  at  the 
Streva-Morello  team  and  the  rest  of  the  Mafia 
crowd.  The  chief  was  contemplating  a  raid  on 
the  gang.  The  Streva  crowd,  however,  were 
tipped  off  that  the  arrest  orders  were  about  to 
be  signed. 

Beyond  and  behind  all  this  there  was  a  tense 
political  situation.  Vella's  term  of  office  was 
about  to  expire  and  election  day  was  not  far  off. 
Streva  and  his  crowd  feared  Vella,  but  they 
knew  that  they  could  not  hope  to  beat  the  chief 
for  re-election  if  they  opposed  him  with  one  of 
their  own  crowd. 

The  "Black  Handers"  looked  the  field  over 
and  hit  upon  Francesco  Ortonello,  who  was  a 
man  of  upright  life  and  character  respected  by 
his  townsmen  for  miles  around.  Ortonello's 
father  had  been  mayor  of  Corleone.  An  uncle 
was  the  best-known  priest  in  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  Sicily.  Ortonello,  though,  had  never 
meddled  with  politics,  nor  with  the  Mafia  or  any 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA       251 

other  organization.  He  was  quite  content  to 
mind  his  own  business  and  devote  himself  to  his 
family.  One  day  a  committee  of  influential  men 
called  on  Ortonello,  and  after  persistent  argu- 
ment induced  him  to  run  for  the  office  of  Com- 
mander of  the  Sylvan  Guards  against  Vella. 

This  induced  Vella  to  suspect  Ortonello  for 
being  in  league  with  the  Mafia  and  intent  on 
spoiling  all  the  good  work  done  toward  wiping 
out  the  plundering  band  of  which  Morello  was 
a  member. 

Accordingly,  with  some  liquor  in  him,  Vella 
went  to  Ortonello's  house  and  hurled  the  follow- 
ing at  Ortonello,  who  did  not  understand  the 
political  conditions  that  prevailed  at  the  time: 

"So,  Ortonello,"  said  Vella  in  a  rage,  "you 
have  dropped  the  mask.  I  never  thought  you 
were  one  of  the  Mafia's  puppets.  I  thought  you 
were  an  honest  man,  but  evidently  I  fooled  my- 
self." 

This  onslaught  in  his  own  house  brought  Orto- 
nello to  his  feet.  He  grabbed  a  gun  and  forced 
Vella  to  flee.  Now,  Ortonello's  eyes  were 
opened.  He  realized  that  he  had  been  duped 
into  accepting  the  candidacy  against  Vella.  He 
realized  that  his  clean  record  of  citizenship  was 


252        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

to  be  used  in  order  to  beat  Vella.  He  promptly 
went  to  the  authorities  and  notified  them  to  can- 
cel his  name. 

The  Mafia  was  thrown  into  panic.  The 
bandits  knew  that  Vella  would  win  if  Ortonello 
did  not  oppose  him. 

The  very  night  following  Ortonello's  can- 
celling of  his  name  for  the  office,  Vella  was  mur- 
dered. 

Previously  on  the  evening  that  he  was  shot 
Vella  had  been  making  merry  at  the  cafe  "Stella 
dTtalia"  with  a  number  of  public  officials  and 
was  well  "under  the  weather,"  as  they  say,  when 
he  started  for  home.  He  was  seen  to  rest 
against  a  lamp-post.  A  neighbor  offered  him 
assistance  to  his  door  but  Vella  refused. 

As  soon  as  the  shooting  took  place  there  was 
a  commotion.  Vella's  wife,  feeling  that  some 
such  fate  would  befall  her  husband,  rushed  out 
terror-stricken  and  fell  prostrate  across  the  dy- 
ing chief.  The  carabineers  arrived  and  with 
them  a  crowd  of  people.  Vella  was  taken  in  a 
dying  condition  to  his  house,  which  became 
jammed  with  excited  neighbors.  Among  those 
present  was  Morello.  He  had  hidden  his  gun 
in  a  pile  of  rubbish  at  the  river's  edge  and  hur- 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA       253 

ried  into  Vella's  house  to  look  for  developments. 
The  hiding  of  the  gun  by  Morello  was  testi- 
fied to  at  the  trial  of  Ortonello  by  a  man  named 
Antonio  Caronia,  who,  by  the  way,  was  not  mur- 
dered. He  was  a  good  shot  himself,  and  had 
the  reputation  of  being  able  to  mix  it  up  with  any 
of  the  Morello  crowd  without  much  fear  of  the 
results. 

The  commander  of  the  carabineers  was  a  dear 
friend  of  Vella's  and  had  been  dining  with  the 
chief  but  a  few  minutes  before  the  shooting. 
The  commander  asked  Vella  who  shot  him  and 
the  chief  muttered: 

"Cows,  cows, — the  Mafia."  The  chief  also  re- 
cited a  long  list  of  names  of  the  men  he  had  been 
camping  after  in  his  efforts  to  rid  the  community 
of  the  Mafia  band.  At  this  the  commander  of 
the  carabineers  interrupted  the  dying  chief,  and 
told  him  he  was  naming  too  many  men,  and  that 
so  many  could  not  have  done  the  shooting.  The 
result,,  the  commander  told  the  chief,  would  be 
that  no  one  would  suffer  for  the  offense.  The 
commander  then  asked  Vella  whether  he  had  any 
quarrels  recently  and  the  chief  answered: 

"Yes,  I  quarrelled  with  Ortonello  yesterday. 
He  wanted  to  take  my  job  away — take  the  bread 


254.        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

and  butter  from  my  wife  and  children — and  he 
threatened  me  with  a  gun." 

The  commander  of  the  carabineers  immedi- 
ately directed  his  men  to  go  and  get  Ortonello 
and  bring  him  to  the  house  of  the  dying  chief. 

When  Morello  heard  this  order  he  smiled  and 
departed  for  his  home.  It  was  upon  returning 
there  that  the  conversation  took  place  which 
Zangara  declared  he  had  overheard  between  the 
"Black  Hander"  and  his  mother. 

When  the  carabineers  arrived  with  Ortonello 
in  their  custody,  Vella  was  in  his  last  breaths. 
When  asked  by  the  commander  of  the  carabineers 
if  Ortonello  was  the  man  with  whom  he  had 
quarrelled  on  the  previous  day,  Vella  nodded  his 
head  and  fell  back  dead. 

Another  arrest  followed  that  of  Ortonello.  It 
was  that  of  Francesco  Orlando,  who  was  also  a 
candidate  against  Vella.  Orlando  was  tried  and 
sentenced  to  a  term  of  fifteen  years,  which  he 
served  and  is  now  out.  Needless  to  say  that 
Orlando's  sympathies  and  activities  are  not  di- 
rected toward  any  movement  favorable  to  the 
Morello  crowd. 

The  trial  of  Ortonello  shows  the  methods  of 
the  Mafia — methods  that  the  Lupo-Morello  gang 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA      255 

would  transplant  to  this  country  in  the  conduct 
of  the  trials  of  our  courts  of  their  criminal 
brethren  if  it  could  be  done  by  them.  Morello's 
powerful  friends  brought  it  about  so  that  the  two 
attorneys  for  Ortonello  deserted  him  at  the  mo- 
ment the  case  was  to  go  to  trial  so  that  the  un- 
fortunate Ortonello  was  forced  to  take  a  young 
lawyer  who  knew  little  of  the  details  of  the  case 
and  who  was  not  sufficiently  versed  in  the  prac- 
tice of  courts. 

But  worse  still,  the  two  attorneys  that  deserted 
Ortonello  on  the  eve  of  his  trial  had  all  along 
advised  him  that  his  innocence  was  so  evident 
that  no  jury  would  ever  convict  him.  It  was 
not,  therefore,  the  attorneys  told  Ortonello,  nec- 
essary to  go  to  any  great  pains  to  prove  his  in- 
nocence. The  value  of  this  advice  to  the  Mafia 
crowd  may  be  brought  out  more  strongly  when 
I  tell  you  that  both  of  these  attorneys  were  be- 
traying Ortonello  and  keeping  Morello's  friend 
Streva,  the  powerful  young  leader  of  the  Mafia, 
informed  of  every  move  of  Ortonello.  They  ad- 
vised Ortonello  not  to  bring  out  any  evidence 
that  would  be  injurious  to  Streva  or  Morello. 
It  would  not  be  necessary  to  do  this  to  prove  his 
innocence,  the  two  attorneys  told  Ortonello. 


256        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY] 

In  vain  Antonio  Caronia  testified  in  Orto- 
nello's behalf  that  he  had  seen  Morello  hide  the 
gun  in  the  pile  of  rubbish  at  the  river's  edge 
shortly  after  the  shooting  took  place.  To  offset 
this  testimony  of  Caronia's,  the  Morello  crowd 
worked  upon  the  police  and  had  the  gun  spirited 
away.  Later  on,  it  may  be  added  here,  the  po- 
lice official  who  was  responsible  for  the  hiding  of 
this  gun  at  the  time  of  Ortonello's  trial,  was 
dismissed  from  the  service  for  his  conduct. 

In  vain  did  Ortonello's  attorney  bring  out  evi- 
dence that  the  bullet  extracted  from  Vella's  body 
was  much  larger  than  the  calibre  of  the  gun 
found  in  Ortonello's  home.  Testimony  was  ad- 
mitted at  the  trial  to  offset  this.  A  Mafia  hench- 
man was  produced  who  declared  that  the  bullet 
had  been  made  larger  because  of  hitting  a  bone 
in  Vella's  body  and  thus  flattening  the  missile. 

In  vain  was  it  shown  that  a  grocery  wagon 
had  been  placed  in  front  of  Ortonello's  door  more 
than  an  hour  before  the  shooting  and  that  this 
wagon  had  to  be  removed  before  the  carabineers 
could  get  admittance  to  Ortonello's  house  when 
they  went  after  him  to  bring  him  to  the  house 
of  the  dying  chief.  In  vain  was  it  brought  out 
at  the  trial  that  Ortonello  was  in  bed  when  the 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA      257 

carabineers  entered  his  room  to  take  him  into 
custody.  In  vain  was  it  shown  that  he  could 
not  have  got  into  the  house  or  out  of  it  while  a 
grocery  wagon  was  backed  up  to  his  door  an 
hour  previous  to  the  time  of  the  shooting  and 
was  still  there  when  the  carabineers  arrived  to 
arrest  him.  In  vain  was  it  shown  that  this  gro- 
cery wagon  had  been  drawn  up  in  front  of  Or- 
tonello's  door  by  the  groceryman  next  door  who 
had  come  from  Palermo  that  night  with  a  large 
amount  of  groceries,  and  when  the  mail  stage 
was  to  pass,  and  because  the  street  was  narrow, 
the  groceryman  backed  the  wagon  up  to  the  door 
and  left  it  there  until  he  could  unload  his  goods. 

In  vain  did  the  groceryman  testify  that  he 
was  unloading  his  wagon  when  the  shot  was  fired, 
that  he  did  not  leave  his  wagon  from  thenmntil 
the  carabineers  arrived,  and  that  Ortonello  had 
not  entered  the  house  nor  come  from  it  during 
that  period.  In  vain  was  testimony  given  that 
the  grocery  wagon,  being  backed  up  to  the  door, 
prevented  Ortonello  from  either  coming  out  of 
the  house  or  entering  it. 

In  order  to  contradict  the  testimony  of  the 
grocer  and  three  others  who  corroborated  him 
concerning  the  wagon,  friends  of  Vella  went  to 


258        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

a  prostitute  who  lived  in  the  rear  of  Ortonello's 
house  and  paid  her  money  to  testify  that  she  had 
seen  Ortonello  after  the  shooting  climb  a  rope 
and  enter  the  rear  window  of  this  house.  The 
window  was  forty  feet  from  the  ground.  This 
woman  is  now  dead,  but  before  her  demise  she 
told  the  truth  and  declared  that  she  had  per- 
jured herself  for  the  money  given  her  by  the 
commander  of  the  carabineers.  This  man  was 
very  bitter  against  Ortonello  because  he  believed 
at  the  time  that  Ortonello  had  murdered  his 
friend  Vella. 

To  no  avail  was  the  testimony  of  an  expert 
shoe-maker  who  showed  the  court  that  the  foot- 
prints examined  in  the  spot  where  Morello  was 
seen  hiding  by  the  Di  Puma  woman,  just  prior 
to  the  shooting,  were  not  the  footprints  of  Or- 
tonello nor  of  Orlando. 

As  further  proof  of  the  unfair  trial  suffered 
by  Ortonello  let  me  relate  that  the  commander 
of  the  carabineers  was  so  convinced  of  Ortonello's 
guilt,  and  so  determined  to  prove  a  strong  case 
against  the  unfortunate  Ortonello  that  the  com- 
mander went  to  the  house  of  Biaggia  Milone  and 
frightened  her  by  threats  into  testifying  that  she 
had  seen  Ortonello  and  Orlando  do  the  shooting, 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA      259 

that  she  had  seen  this  from  the  window  of  her 
home,  and  that  she  had  seen  the  two  surveying 
the  ground  on  the  previous  Sunday.  This  is 
the  Milone  woman  whose  cousin  operated  the 
grocery  store  in  East  Ninety-seventh  Street, 
which  was  the  headquarters  distributing  plant  for 
the  Lupo-Morello  counterfeit  money. 

For  four  years  Ortonello  remained  in  prison 
at  Palermo,  where  the  case  should  properly  have 
been  tried;  but  the  Mafia  crowd  became  fright- 
ened at  the  public  sentiment  that  was  being 
aroused  in  behalf  of  Ortonello  and  feared  that 
if  he  were  tried  at  Palermo,  where  he  was  so 
well  known,  and  where  the  truth  was  slowly  leak- 
ing out,  he  would  be  set  free.  Through  the  in- 
fluence of  Streva  the  case  was  transferred  to 
Messina,  at  the  other  extremity  of  Sicily,  where 
Ortonello  was  tried  and  convicted.  He  was  sen- 
tenced to  serve  life  imprisonment.  Five  of  the 
jurors  believed  him  innocent. 

Perhaps  the  reader  is  curious  to  know  what 
became  of  Paolino  Streva,  the  young  and  power- 
ful leader  of  the  Mafia  of  that  time,  the  protector 
and  patron  of  Morello.  His  fate  will  probably 
serve  as  a  warning  and  please  the  reader.  He 
is  missing  from  the  vicinity  of  Corleone  for  some 


260        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

time  past.  He  quarrelled  with  Bernardo  Verro, 
the  very  popular  leader  of  the  Socialist  party  in 
Corleone,  and  caused  Verro  to  be  shot.  The 
shooting  was  inaccurate,  though,  and  Verro  re- 
covered. Then  the  friends  of  Verro  thought 
they  would  do  a  little  shooting  of  their  own,  and 
they  attempted  to  hit  Streva  on  three  different 
occasions,  but  were  unsuccessful.  Then  Verro's 
friends  went  after  Streva  still  more  effectively. 
They  burned  down  his  house  and  barns  and  de- 
stroyed his  farm  lands.  Streva  suddenly  disap- 
peared and  his  whereabouts  are  not  known. 

As  for  Morello,  he  is  safely  lodged  in  the  At- 
lanta Federal  Prison  on  a  sentence  of  twenty- 
five  years  for  counterfeiting.  He  is,  however, 
no  longer  in  danger  of  being  prosecuted  for  the 
murder  of  Vella  because  the  Italian  Code  pro- 
vides that  a  man  cannot  be  tried  for  a  crime  when 
twenty  years  have  expired  after  the  committing 
of  the  felony. 

As  for  Ortonello  and  his  family  I  can  state 
that  his  wife  and  children  are  now  in  New  York 
and  prospering.  The  old  man  himself,  I  am 
happy  to  state,  is  free  through  friendly  influences 
I  have  succeeded  in  bringing  to  bear  on  his  case. 
He  has  taken  a  new  grip  on  life  since  the  day  of 


"BLACK-HAND"  PROPAGANDA      261 

his  release,  even  though  he  is  broken  in  body 
and  weighted  with  years,  showing  plainly  the 
terrible  suffering  of  his  twenty-three  years  of 
unmerited  prison  life.  His  spirit  is  revived  and 
his  mind  is  clear.    He  prays  for  me  and  mine. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 


THE  WATCHWORD  OF  THE     BLACK-HANDERS" 


"Have  no  fear — I  am  not  asleep — and  I  have 
not  slept  ever  since  that  time!" 

These  ominous  words  were  underscored  in  a 
letter  written  by  Morello,  the  arch-bandit,  to  a 
friend  in  Palermo  who  had  warned  the  chief  to 
be  on  his  guard  against  betrayal  in  his  extensive 
criminal  operations.  The  words  "that  time"  un- 
doubtedly refer  back  to  the  Corleone  murders 
that  made  the  chief  change  his  habitat  from  the 
mountain  haunts  of  the  Mafia  to  the  by-ways  of 
New  York. 

I  have  quoted  Morello  because  in  that  ominous 
sentence  he  has  spoken  the  watchword  of  the 
"Black-Handers"  in  New  York  City.  The 
criminal  element  among  the  Italians  here  is  not 
sleeping.  At  the  time  he  penned  these  words 
Morello  had  advanced  to  the  leadership  of  the 

262 


THE  WATCHWORD  263 

worst  and  most  elusive  band  of  criminals  that 
ever  slipped  past  the  scrutiny  of  the  Ellis  Island 
officials. 

In  contrast  to  the  criminal  element,  the  hon- 
est Italians  of  New  York  City,  and  other  large 
centers  of  population  in  this  country,  are  cer- 
tainly sleeping.  It  is  a  restless,  fearful  sleep  in 
which  they  are  indulging.  A  sleep  from  which 
they  will  be  aroused  sometimes  by  a  bomb  at 
their  door,  or  by  the  stealing  of  the  smallest  child 
in  their  household,  or  by  a  knife-thrust  in  the 
dark.  The  Italian,  the  honest  Italian,  the  good 
citizen,  knows  that  what  I  say  is  true. 

But  why  does  the  honest  Italian  go  back  and 
I  sleep  again  when  he  knows  that  the  same  danger 
is  imminent  still? 

The  honest  Italian  is  drugged  with  fear. 

He  fears  to  open  his  mouth  and  tell  the  police 
and  the  government  officials  about  the  threats 
that  have  been  sent  to  him  by  letter  or  by  those 
whom  he  knows  are  among  the  criminal  ele- 
ment. His  mouth  is  closed  with  the  drug  of 
fear.  He  goes  back  to  sleep  in  silence  not  re- 
alizing that  by  so  doing  he  invites  another  crime 
upon  his  household. 

The  antidote  for  the  drug  of  fear  is  courage. 


264,        THE  BARREL  MYSTERY 

Perhaps  courage  is  not  the  correct  word;  I 
mean  rather  disregard  of  threats.  If  the  honest 
Italians  in  this  country  would  disregard  the 
threats  of  the  very  small  number  of  criminals 
among  them,  the  "Black  Hand"  nuisance  would 
be  wiped  out  before  the  sun  returned  to  the 
meridian  many  times.  If  the  honest  Italian 
would  help  the  police  authorities  by  telling  the 
facts  when  threatened  there  would  be  a  swift 
ending  of  the  "Black  Hand"  gang. 

The  reason  for  the  fear  in  the  mind  of  the 
honest,  and  even  the  most  intelligent,  Italians  is 
born  of  the  thought  that  such  leaders  as  Morello 
and  Lupo,  were  more  than  human  in  their  crafti- 
ness, and  had  dark  and  mysterious  ways  of  avoid- 
ing the  best  detectives  in  this  country,  and  that 
they  could  even  commit  murder  and  laugh  in  the 
teeth  of  the  police.  The  answer  to  such  a 
thought  is  the  sentences  imposed  on  Morello, 
Lupo  and  the  other  members  of  the  gang  now 
confined  in  the  federal  prison.  If  there  are  other 
leaders  of  less  magnitude  than  these  two,  and 
who  have  caused  any  Italian  fear  through  threat 
or  otherwise,  I  invite  such  honest  Italian  to  tell 
me  what  he  knows.  There  are  cells  unoccupied 
in  many  prisons. 


THE  WATCHWORD  265 

In  conclusion  I  ask  the  honest  Italian  to  dis- 
regard the  idea  that  the  criminals  of  his  race  are 
infallible  and  may  not  be  reached  by  the  law.  It 
is  to  honest  Italians  particularly  that  I  send  out 
this  book.  I  repeat  the  words  of  Giuseppe  Mo- 
rello : 

"Have  No  Fear,  I  Am  Not  Asleep,  and 
Have  Not  Slept  Ever  Since  That  Time." 


the  end 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Form  L9-Series  444 


A     000  126  428     2 


